Week of March 29, 2004
» Please view "The Weekly Whip" for the week of March 29, 2004
» View Attachments Bundled Together in a PDF File
Items you may want to do press on:
- Fiscal Year 2005 Budget Resolution
- Transportation Equity Act—Legacy for Users (TEA-LU)
- New Unemployment Figures
Fiscal Year 2005 Budget Resolution
House Republican Leaders have announced that they will go to conference with the Senate next week on the Fiscal Year 2005 Budget. The Senate Budget would reinstate expired "pay-as-you-go" rules that mandate offsets for new tax cuts and entitlement spending.
The House Democratic Budget contained similar "pay-as-you-go" language, and Democrats will offer a motion to instruct conferees to accept the Senate "pay-as-you-go" language on Monday in order to rein in the record deficits created by Republicans' reckless policies.
The materials listed below may help you in doing press on House Democratic support for fiscal responsibility and "pay-as-you-go," and House Republicans' refusal to seriously tackle the ballooning deficits that are threatening Social Security, Medicare and our ability to invest in America's future:
- Democratic Whip Website's Budget Clearinghouse section on Fiscal Responsibility
- Release from Hoyer and Leaders of the Blue Dog Coalition (attached) on "Ballooning Bush Debt"
Transportation Equity Act—Legacy for Users (TEA-LU)
The Transportation Equity Act will be on the Floor next week. Attached is
- a summary prepared by the House Transportation Committee Democrats
- State-by-State Funding Levels
Unemployment
The House will likely adjourn next week for the April recess without having extended the federal unemployment insurance compensation program to protect the more than 8 million unemployed Americans who are struggling to find a job, because the House Republican leadership refuses to schedule a vote on such an extension.
At the end of March,more than1 million unemployed Americans will have exhausted their state benefits according to areport by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
In addition, on Friday, new unemployment figures will be released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Democrats will continue to fight to extend the temporary federal benefits.
House Democrats are urged to talk to local media and constituents regarding Republicans' failure to assist unemployed workers in a jobless economy and our efforts on behalf of unemployed workers.