Cuts to Programs Will Cause Hispanic Families to Fall Behind

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., expressed strong concern over the fiscal year (FY) 2007 Budget Request released by the White House this week. The proposal calls on Congress to make drastic cuts to programs that assist low-income communities, a move that will cause many Americans to experience further hardship and places the entire nation at risk of falling behind our competitors in the global economy.

“This budget contradicts President Bush’s own proposal for a ‘competitiveness agenda’,” said NCLR President and CEO, Janet Murguía. “Last week President Bush announced an initiative to create a more competitive workforce, yet this budget deeply cuts critical programs to the Latino community and will weaken the productivity of the present and future U.S. workforce.”

The FY 2007 Budget Request reduces funding for a number of domestic programs that were created to improve the economic security of low-income households, help U.S. families attain self-sufficiency, and strengthen American workers’ ability to maintain our nation’s standing as the world leader in business, science, technology, and innovation. Attached is NCLR’s preliminary analysis of President Bush’s FY 2007 Budget Request.

“To be truly competitive a nation must have an educated workforce, yet the President’s budget eliminates acclaimed programs such as GEAR UP and TRIO, which help Latino children finish high school and go on to college. A competitive economy requires highly-skilled workers, yet this budget eliminates job training for migrant workers, a proven program which has helped thousands get out of the fields and into the 21st century labor market. And a nation’s economic health depends on the good health of its families, but this budget reduces funding for Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), safety-net programs which provide critical access to health care for millions of families,” noted Murguía.

“While NCLR believes it is critically important that the President and Congress balance the nation’s books, we question an approach that cuts services to the most vulnerable in our society while providing more tax relief to those in the highest income brackets,” concluded Murguía.

###