On February 1, the House approved, 216-214, a resolution (H. Res. 653) concurring with the Senate amendments to the conference report for the FY2006 spending reconciliation bill (S. 1932). The House first approved the conference report for S. 1932 on December 19 (see The Source, 12/21/05). The Senate approved the measure with minor amendments on December 21, but the House did not reconsider the bill before Congress adjourned for the year. It will now go to the White House to be signed into law by President Bush.
Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL) explained that the spending reconciliation bill “seeks to curb the unsustainable growth rate of mandatory programs that are set to consume 62 percent of our total budget in the next decade if left unchecked. The agreement will stimulate reform of these entitlement programs, many of which are outdated, inefficient and excessively costly…Our goal was to control government spending so that Americans can keep more of their own money instead of having the government seize more. The authorizing committees from both chambers have worked very hard to find savings within their individual jurisdictions that total nearly $40 billion in efficiency. The agreement allows programs and agencies to weed out waste, fraud, abuse, duplication of effort, so that we can channel more federal dollars to programs that succeed and to the people who are truly in need, to serve the intended populations more efficiently, more effectively, and in smarter ways.”
Expressing her opposition to the bill, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) stated, “We have heard a great deal from the Republican party recently about its commitment to reforming the way the House does business. Again today the Republicans have told us that they have learned from their mistakes, and they will never again allow special interests to distract them from doing the work of the American people. Actions speak louder than words, and this budget bill before us today is proof that despite all the talk of reform nothing has changed with its leadership. This is a bill that cuts Medicare spending by $6.4 billion. It cuts child support enforcement by $1.5 billion. It cuts $343 million from foster care programs.” She added, “A vote for this bill is a vote to literally take away health care from our children so we can give money to the super-rich. A vote for this bill is a vote to weaken Medicare for our struggling seniors, who are having enough trouble with the so-called Medicare reform bill…It will also put college education farther out of reach of our students, even though the President last night discussed that our competitiveness depends on what we are teaching our students today, so we can find more tax-cut giveaways. Remember, that is what you are voting for.”
