Frank Pallone: “6 weeks ago all Americans saw the human face of poverty in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. President Bush vowed…”

“6 weeks ago all Americans saw the human face of poverty in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. President Bush vowed after the botched Federal response that the Federal Government would do everything it could to help those displaced in the gulf coast and to finally address the issue of poverty. Well, 6 weeks later and the House Republican majority is already forgetting about America's most vulnerable. This week Republicans plan to cut Medicaid, higher education, food stamps, and possibly the earned income tax credit. These are programs that have helped the most vulnerable in our Nation. Republicans will claim that their budget reconciliation bill is fiscally responsible and will cut the deficit, but that is simply not true. This budget actually raises the deficit, gives more tax breaks to the wealthy and makes matters worse for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It only took Republicans 6 weeks to forget the images of Hurricane Katrina. They are once again putting the priorities of the wealthiest few ahead of working class Americans. It is now clear that Republicans learned absolutely nothing from Hurricane Katrina. ____________________”