Darlene Hooley: “Mr. Chairman, when we as a House pass a budget, we are outlining our priorities as a House and a Nation. Sadly, this…”

“Mr. Chairman, when we as a House pass a budget, we are outlining our priorities as a House and a Nation. Sadly, this irresponsible budget fails to accurately reflect the priorities of my constituents or of this Nation. This is an irresponsible budget that passes on our problems and our deficits to our children and our grandchildren while, at the same time, failing to invest in our children and grandchildren by underfunding education. Last Congress we were all speaking about the importance of children and education. We said, we do not want to leave a child behind, and yet that is exactly what this budget does. We cannot shortchange this priority; we must invest in our children. This budget also shortchanges our veterans. Our veterans have made great personal sacrifices, and we have a responsibility to serve our retired military personnel, just as they served our country. At a time when we have sent our men and women into harm's way, what better way to honor their service and to show them how valued they are than by treating their predecessors with respect and dignity. Not one soldier who puts his or her life on the line should have to worry about whether he or she will get health care when he or she returns from battle. Finally, this is a budget that fails to adequately protect our homeland security.”