DNC Team: Bush Budget

03/02/2005

Dear DFL Members and Supporters,

Stop the devastating cuts in Bush’s budget from hurting Minnesota. Congress is debating this plan right now, so make your voice heard! Write a letter to the editor of your local paper today.

http://www.democrats.org/action

Minnesota residents are facing severe cuts if George Bush’s new budget becomes law—but you can help stop it in its tracks.

Bush recently unveiled his reckless plan to privatize Social Security, and now he’s touting a budget that slashes key programs that help Minnesota’s working families.

Bush plans devastating cuts to America’s top priorities, from homeland security to health care to education to benefits for veterans and much more. Despite these cuts, this budget is a fiscal disaster, with Bush’s trademark irresponsibility pushing America deeper into the red with another record deficit.

And this budget is a huge disaster for Minnesota. Here are just a few of the cuts Minnesota faces under Bush’s 2006 budget:

Homeland Security

The Bush 2006 budget cuts $420 million to state and local funding for homeland security, including a $18.9 million cut for Minnesota. These cuts will take police and firefighters off your streets.
The Bush budget cuts the COPS program, which has put 1,424 officers on Minnesota streets, by 96 percent.

Health Care

The Bush budget cuts $45 billion from Medicaid, enough to provide health care to 1.8 million children. Minnesota’s share of these cuts is $712 million.
Bush’s budget cuts the very same community and rural health care programs he touted during the campaign, even though more than 45,000 Minnesota residents have lost their health care coverage since Bush took office due to his failures.

Education

Bush underfunds his own No Child Left Behind Act by $13.1 billion in his budget. In Minnesota, that means a shortfall of $124.1 million, leaving behind 20,049 Minnesota children.

Bush promised to fund Pell Grants in his State of the Union address, but his budget is $6.6 billion short. That’s $92.2 million less than what’s needed in Minnesota, a real burden for the 72,143 students in Minnesota who receive the grants.

Other Priorities

Bush cuts $17.7 million from Minnesota job training programs in his 2006 budget.

The Bush budget would require many veterans to pay a new $250 annual “user fee” to use the Veterans Administration health care system, and would double the prescription drug co-payment for the 464,968 Minnesota veterans.

Bush cuts Minnesota clean water programs by $7.1 million.

Bush’s 2006 budget also cuts the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program—which helps low-income families afford heating fuel in the winter—by $234.4 million, including $9.2 million cut for Minnesota residents.
And Bush’s irresponsible budget is a record $427 billion in the red, increasing each Minnesota family’s share of the federal debt by $39,519.

Take Action

Take action today to help stop Bush’s disastrous budget in its tracks. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper explaining why Bush’s budget is such a disaster for America.

Be sure to include some of the facts about Minnesota above, or download our full report here for even more useful information.

Write your letter here:

http://www.democrats.org/action

And be sure to tell your friends to join in. Forward this email to all your friends in Minnesota, or tell them to find the report for their own state here:

http://www.democrats.org/bushbudget

Sincerely,
The DNC Grassroots Action Team