Rep Becerra Votes Against Republican Budget

Press Release

Today the House of Representatives voted to pass a Fiscal Year 2012 budget that ends Medicare as we know it while cutting taxes for the richest Americans. Representative Xavier Becerra (CA-31), Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and a member of the President's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, voted against the budget and released the following statement:

"Budgets speak to our values and priorities. The priorities outlined in this Republican budget are completely out of step with the principles embraced by the American people--jobs, economic growth, fiscal discipline, and fairness.

Ten years ago, President George W. Bush handed out massive tax breaks for the wealthy. The result? The worst decade of job creation in a generation and a budget that went from surpluses as far as the eye can see to unending deficits.

Sixteen years ago, Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich tried to privatize Medicare and block-grant Medicaid. The American people rejected that plan.

Today's Republican budget includes more of the same failed policies that put us into deficit in the first place. It would hurt the economy and cost us up to 1.7 million jobs in the coming years. And perhaps worst of all, it puts our seniors at the mercy of insurance companies by replacing their Medicare with "CouponCare"--leading to an average annual increase in medical bills of $6,000 for every senior on Medicare. That's a lot of pain with no real gain. And those are not America's values.

Our country cannot afford to keep doing the same wrong-headed thing time and again expecting a different result. It's time to get serious about putting Americans back to work and responsibly dealing with the deficit. This budget does neither."

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