CONGRESSMAN
COLLIN C. PETERSON
Minnesota - 7th District       http://www.house.gov/collinpeterson/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 20, 2003                                       

CONTACT: Allison Myhre/218-847-5056

Peterson says House budget hurts agriculture, veterans

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Collin C. Peterson (DFL-7th District) voted against the House Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2004, saying it would continue soaring deficits while requiring devastating cuts to agriculture, veterans programs, rural health care delivery and rural development programs.

“Sixteen farm groups opposed the Republican budget, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Farmers Union, the National Wheat Growers Association, the National Milk Producers Federation and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, because it will require $18.6 Billion in cuts from agriculture programs, including the recently enacted Farm Bill.”

The Republican budget plan cuts agriculture programs a total of $18.6 billion over the next ten years while spending $1.4 trillion on tax cuts. It also calls for cutting veterans programs by $14.6 billion, Medicaid by $110 billion, and education programs by $9.2 billion, all over the next ten years.

“As someone who worked hard to get more money into agriculture disaster relief programs and the recently enacted Farm Bill, I believe we cannot allow this money to be stripped out and diverted to other purposes,” Peterson said. “I supported tax cuts the last time the President asked for them, but in the current situation - with exploding deficits, a war that will clearly cost a great deal, and a staggering economy, especially in rural areas - the Republican budget priorities just don’t make a lot of sense.”

The Republican plan also proposed slashing $470 billion from domestic spending, including health care and compensation for disabled veterans provided by the Department of Veterans. The American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans all opposed this plan.

Peterson supported the Blue Dog Budget and an alternative offered by Rep. John Spratt of South Carolina, the senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee. The Blue Dog Budget plan would balance the budget by 2009 and put $115 billion towards an economic stimulus plan. Both alternatives retired the national debt and rebalanced the budget sooner than the Republican majority’s budget without making the cuts in agriculture, veterans and other programs

“The Republicans and the Administration should have given us an honest budget plan, one that pays the bills we have and rebalances the budget as quickly as possible. Instead, they are putting it all on the government’s credit card and sending the bill into the future for our children and grandchildren to pay, and that is irresponsible and wrong.

“The Republican budget cuts mandatory and discretionary spending to programs for veterans, seniors, health care and agriculture. I recognize the need for an economic stimulus, but it should not come at the expense of farmers, seniors and veterans. These cuts will hit rural areas very hard.”

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