Ohio Valley Politics

President Bush submitted his final budget today, and it isn’t sitting too well with everyone. The $3.1 trillion budget has significant increases aimed at strengthening national defense, but makes cuts to funding for education, medicare, and medicaid.

Ohio Congressman Charlie Wilson has already issued a statement condemning the budget, saying that he plans “to take a look at the President’s priorities and identify wasteful spending”.

“This troubling budget plan put forth by the President takes this country in the wrong direction. Overall, I’m very disappointed to see heavy cuts in social programs. Programs like LIHEAP, Medicaid and Medicare are important to the residents of Ohio’s Sixth District. As a Blue Dog Democrat I’m committed to keeping spending under control, however, cutting Medicare by $556 billion over 10 years and cutting heating assistance by $570 million is not the answer. That’s just cutting people who are already hurting. Over the next couple of weeks I plan to take a look at the President’s priorities and identify wasteful spending.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

According to Wilson’s press release, Ohio would lose the following under Bush’s budget:

• $5,408,000 in law enforcement grants
• $24,018,000 in firefighters grants
• $14,369,000 for dislocated workers
• $4,788,000 in grants to improve teacher quality, as required by No Child Left Behind
• $45,210,000 in career and technical education funding
• $1,342,000 in Child care development block grant funding
• $16,173,000 in LIHEAP funding
• $22,125,000 in federal-Aid Highways Program funding

Apparently President Bush must be preparing to become a used car salesman when he leaves office, because this budget is a lemon.

Rep. Zack Space has also released a brief statement in response to the State of the Union speech.

“There is little doubt that the economy needs a short-term shot in the arm, which is why I agree with the President’s call for quick passage of an economic stimulus plan by the Senate.  However, we have to couple that with a long-term plan for sustainable economic growth.  Without that, a stimulus package will have little chance to succeed.

“I also agree with the President’s claim that we need to break our dependence on foreign oil, and I am confident that the advances being made in Southeastern Ohio toward advanced energy will help lead the way.  Hopefully, the President’s call for carbon capture will mean that we take great advantage of clean coal, the God-given natural resource we have in abundance. 

“Where I think this President continues to have a tin ear to the needs of the American public is on immigration and free trade.  With the President’s ongoing insistence on free trade agreements – which do nothing but undermine our domestic job market – a new long-term plan is increasingly necessary.  President Bush has told us tonight that he will spend his last year in office pushing more free trade deals that will only further hurt Ohio and will push for an immigration policy that will effectively grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. 

“The President is once again asking America to ‘stay the course’ with jobs moving overseas and illegal immigrants flowing into the country.  These are not the priorities that Americans are calling for.”

– Rep. Zack Space

That didn’t take long. You can read the full press release after the jump.

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I’ve got nothing better to do, so I’m going to try out a new service called “Cover It Live” to make sarcastic comments about the State of the Union speech. Keep in mind that this is mainly just a test of the “Cover It Live” software.

Update - 10:15 PM 1/28/2008

MSNBC has the text of the speech here. Apparently ThinkProgress broke the embargo.

Update - 10:23 PM 1/28/2008

The four DCCC text messages:

Bush: We share a common goal- making health care more affordable and accessible for all Americans.
Reality: He vetoed healthcare for 10 million kids, twice.

Bush: 116 million American taxpayers would see their taxes rise by an avg of $1,800.
Reality: Middle income Americans will receive less than half that.

Bush: Trust in innovative spirit of medical researchers, empower them to discover new treatments
Reality: Bush vetoed funding for stem cell research, twice

Bush on Iraq: The truth is Bush’s endless war in Iraq is not only costing American lives, but also $11 billion a month.

Rep. Zack Space of the 18th district issued the following statement today about President Bush’s recent threat to veto the 2007 Farm Bill.

“President Bush has vetoed legislation that offers hope for a cure to diseases such as diabetes, legislation that would provide health insurance to underprivileged children, legislation that would provide vital water control projects, legislation that would bring our troops home from Iraq, and now Administration officials are threatening to veto programs our farmers and rural communities rely on.  Is there nothing safe from the veto pen?

“This bill is too important to be subject to the Administration’s misguided effort to score a few political points.  This veto threat represents a slap in the face to farmers in Southeastern Ohio.

“I encourage my colleagues in the Senate to continue to work for the best interests of farmers in Ohio and across the United States.  Those of us in Congress will strive to ensure we continue to have the safest, cheapest, most abundant food supply on the planet.”

– Rep. Zack Space

Once again President Bush is threatening to veto the SCHIP bill, despite the fact that the bill was changed to alleviate prior concerns with the bill.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — President Bush will veto a revised bill for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, the White House said Thursday, as the new plan doesn’t meaningfully address prior objections.

The revision still calls for a hike on tobacco product taxes to fund a $35 billion expansion over SCHIP’s current $25 billion five-year funding baseline.

"Of course [Bush] would veto it — in some ways this bill is worse than the previous bill," said Tony Fratto, White House spokesman. "It raises taxes on working Americans in order to move people from private insurance to public assistance. No tax increase of any kind is needed to fund this program."

Today’s proposal passed by a margin of 265-142, but still isn’t enough to override a veto.

Source: Bush threatens to veto revised health insurance plan - MarketWatch