UAW Blasts Bush's Budget Proposal

    DETROIT, March 1 UAW President Stephen P. Yokich today
urged Congress to reject President Bush's budget proposal, saying the Bush
plan "hands the richest one percent of Americans an obscene windfall while
ignoring the needs of America's children, the elderly, and middle- and lower-
income working men and women."
    "At a time when more than 43 million Americans -- including nearly 11
million children -- are without health care coverage, one-fifth of our
children are living in poverty, and millions of senior citizens are struggling
with soaring prescription drug costs, Mr. Bush's number one priority is tax
relief for millionaires," Yokich commented, referring to a Citizens for Tax
Justice analysis of Bush's tax cut plan that shows the wealthiest one percent
of taxpayers would get an average tax reduction of more than $54,000 a year --
45 percent of the total tax cut.
    "The budget surplus gives the President an historic opportunity to lift
millions of America's children out of poverty, expand access to quality health
care, and strengthen Social Security and Medicare," Yokich continued.  "Yet
Mr. Bush intends to squander this opportunity by blowing the surplus on a tax-
cut scheme based on 'fuzzy math' and priorities that are out-of-sync with the
concerns of the majority of Americans."
    Noting that many nonpartisan budget experts project the actual cost of
Bush's tax cut plan would be $2.6 trillion, a trillion dollars more than
advertised, Yokich said: "Mr. Bush's priorities don't add up -- and neither do
his numbers."
    "This president has yet to offer a credible case for how he can slash
taxes, increase spending for education and defense, establish a trillion-
dollar 'contingency fund,' and pay down the national debt all at the same
time," Yokich noted.  "Mr. Bush won't admit it, but his tax-cut and budget
plans threaten to siphon money away from the Social Security and Medicare
trust funds, robbing millions of Americans of the secure, dignified
retirements they have worked long and hard to earn."
    Urging working families to make their voices heard in the budget debate by
writing, calling, or personally meeting with their Representatives and
Senators, Yokich said: "We need to remind members of Congress that the
American people didn't give George W. Bush a mandate to blow the surplus on a
tax cut for those already at the very top of the economic ladder.  To the
contrary, last November a majority of voters rejected Bush and his agenda,
voting instead for needed investments in education, health care, and
retirement security."