Congressman G. K. Butterfield made the following statement on President Bush’s proposed Fiscal Year 2009 federal budget:
“President Bush has again presented a troubling budget that fails to consider the needs of seniors, veterans and working families. President Bush wants to cut health care for seniors and working families, raise health care costs for veterans and slash energy assistance.
Despite growing numbers of people spiraling into the vicious cycle of poverty, President Bush has called for reductions in Medicaid totaling $17 billion over five years. This highly successful federal-state partnership serves some 55 million people across the country, including the poor and many elderly nursing home residents.
Medicaid cuts would have a devastating affect on North Carolina where one out of every five residents access health care through the program. In 2006-2007, Medicaid served approximately 1.7 million children, aged, blind and/or disabled individuals in North Carolina.
President Bush would also greatly increase veterans’ costs for accessing health care. Under the budget, veterans’ prescription drug co-payments would more than double and some veterans would be required to pay a new annual $250 fee to access government health care.
It’s difficult to understand why President Bush would want to make it more difficult and costly for our veterans to access the health care services they were promised, especially at a time of war.
I’m also troubled by President Bush’s proposal to cut the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) by 22 percent. It’s an important program that is sorely needed, especially in the face of the difficult economy.
North Carolina will receive about $37 million through LIHEAP in the current fiscal year, which will assist an estimated 233,620 households. Even with that funding, many families in North Carolina will struggle to pay for heat this winter. In fact, the current funding level is only enough to serve 16 percent of eligible families. A cut like this would leave many more families in the cold.