John Spratt: “as we gather here tonight to talk over the problems of the budget, our colleagues on this side of the aisle, the…”

“as we gather here tonight to talk over the problems of the budget, our colleagues on this side of the aisle, the Republicans, are locked in a dispute over how to pay for Hurricane Katrina, the cost of which could fall between $100 and $200 billion, maybe even more, for the Federal Government alone. Some, for the most part their most conservative Members, have proposed big cuts in programs that range from student loans, to Medicaid, to food stamps, about $50 billion in spending cuts spread over 5 years. They present these spending cuts as a way to offset, partially at least, offset the spending increases that the response to Katrina and Rita are going to require. But in actuality these spending cuts will not go to offset Katrina, because the Republican budget, the budget resolution operative for the year 2006, the resolution to be brought to the floor to be amended, already calls for $106 billion in additional tax cuts, $106 billion in new tax cuts. And when these new tax cuts are passed, the spending cuts proposed, ostensibly to offset the cost of Katrina, will instead go to make up for the loss of revenues due to the $106 billion in tax cuts. Since the spending cuts are $50 billion and the tax cuts are $106 billion, none of the spending cuts will ever make it to the bottom line where they might otherwise be available to offset the cost of Katrina.…”