Elizabeth Furse: “I am just really amazed by the analysis I have heard of the Medicare Board of Trustees' report. I read it and nowhere…”

“I am just really amazed by the analysis I have heard of the Medicare Board of Trustees' report. I read it and nowhere did I find that they recommended a $270 billion cut in order to give a tax break to the privileged few. Mr. Speaker, what I really want to talk about today is budget priorities. I want to remind you that this Congress has really only power over discretionary spending. That is about 54 percent of the budget, and that 54 percent is divided equally, 50-50, between military and nonmilitary spending. Well, that is, it was divided that way. Mr. Speaker, we have all heard all this talk about how we are going to cut waste in this new Congress, we are going to balance the budget. But we may be surprised to hear that all of the cuts, all of them; I repeat, all the cuts, have come from nonmilitary spending. Did the military budget get a cut? No; it did not. In fact, it got a huge increase. Now, poll after poll shows that the average American wants Pentagon spending either kept the same or cut, but they do not want it increased. In the Republican plan, one star wars account, yes, we are still funding star wars, was actually increased 111 percent over last year's level. That is nearly $400 million more than the administration requested. Mr. Speaker, I think this is wrong and I would submit that the American people might think this is a wrong use of their money.”