WASHINGTON, DC-Following President Bush’s veto of the Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bill that funds education and health care services among other vital priorities, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement:
“With this veto, President Bush is cementing his legacy of ignoring domestic priorities and the needs of families struggling to make ends meet. The bill President Bush vetoed would make substantial investments in education, health care and worker protections at a time when working families in Pennsylvania need help.
“Adjusted for inflation, Pennsylvania workers are earning over $900 a year less today than when President Bush took office. Average health care premiums for individual coverage in Pennsylvania has increased 70% since 2000 while the number of uninsured in Pennsylvania has increased 8.7%.
“At a time when health care costs are skyrocketing, President Bush vetoed increased investments in health care research and in community health centers.
“Instead of putting children first and helping families struggling to pay the cost of college tuition, President Bush vetoed an increase in the maximum Pell Grant and an increase in funding for Head Start.
“While more good paying jobs are being sent overseas, President Bush vetoed $2.9 billion for job training under the Workforce Investment Act and an additional $228 million to help returning veterans prepare for jobs after they leave the Armed Forces.
“As home heating oil prices go through the roof, President Bush vetoed a $250 million increase in the LIHEAP program to help seniors and low-income families pay to heat their homes. To make matters worse, he proposed cutting the LIHEAP program by $379 million.
“In the last seven years, President Bush’s fiscal policy has driven our country deeper into debt than it has ever been in history. This bill is fully-paid for and won’t increase the debt by a single penny. Yet President Bush is using phony arguments to suggest that he has finally discovered fiscal responsibility.”
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