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Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the 2006 budget that we just passed that now moves to a conference committee makes the wrong choices for our Nation. It reflects secured priorities and runs counter to our deepest held beliefs. This budget embraces disastrous economic policies while at the same time fails to put forward a vision of what this great country of the United States should be.

What America needs instead are responsible policies that reflect our values and helps bring our Nation together and invests in the future by expanding opportunity. But this budget proposes to cut vital domestic investments and services for the middle class, for our veterans, for our seniors, for our children, for the needy among us, while continuing to accumulate a huge budget deficit.

And, Mr. Speaker, there is no State in the union that is hurt more from this budget, from the cuts of it these budgets, than our State of Georgia. And keep in mind, Mr. Speaker, this is a State that just recently voted overwhelmingly for the President. But yet here we are in Georgia suffering more from this budget than any other State, $800 million cut from the Centers For Disease Control when we need all of the help we can get to fight the mounting diseases, life threatening diseases, that are moving across our Nation.

Sixty million dollars have been cut from last year's spending for military construction projects in Georgia, $366.8 million dollars from 91,050 Georgia children by under funding No Child Left Behind, $26.7 million in homeland security funding in Georgia has been cut under this budget, $7.9 million has been cut from the Georgia Regional Hospital; TRIO programs for almost 13 million Georgians, affecting 13,000 students and many of these students from impoverished backgrounds, many of these students first-time members of college from families. Thirty-seven million dollars have been cut in Perkins scholarships in Georgia. And one particular project, Mr. Speaker, $75,000 has been cut from an educational and recreational center in Powder Springs in Cobb County, Georgia, in the midst of construction, which halts the construction of this badly needed project.

And let me turn to HOPE VI, one of the most successful housing programs this Nation has ever produced. It is being eliminated completely from the budget, which revitalizes public housing. And in Atlanta, Georgia, in the metropolitan area, HOPE VI is the greatest success story among HOPE VI projects in the entire Nation, but it is costing our community $120 million in economic loss, not to count the millions that is lost from leveraging those badly needed dollars and improving the surrounding communities. Heartless and cruel are words that come to mind.

Section 8 families are cut by 8,700 in Georgia. Community Development Block Grants, which our cities and our counties and our local communities live by, cut by $211.9 million. And health care for 2 million Georgia veterans cut. Funding for firefighters cut by 30 percent.

This is not a budget of vision. This is not a budget of hope. This is a great country. This budget does not reflect the vision of a great country. This budget cuts nearly $2 billion out of Georgia's economy. And on top of that in spite of the cuts, each Georgia family's share of the national debt has been increased by $38,281. This budget is irresponsible, and the cuts are going to hurt an awful lot of America's precious people.

As a member of the Blue Dogs, we have repeatedly said we must pay as we go. We have repeatedly said that the Federal budget should be an honest blueprint for spending of priorities of the Federal Government. However, this budget is not honest. It is passing our obligations and responsibilities and challenges to our children and our grandchildren while cutting vital programs. This budget increases the national debt. It increases the deficit while cutting important programs.

Now we must work, Mr. Speaker, and implore this House/Senate joint conference committee to do the responsible thing for America and let us move with the vision, the courage that the people of America expect us to do and restore these cuts and move forward with a responsible budget.