Compiled by Donald H. Harrison
Appearing at the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, Feb. 2, President Obama outlined his federal budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2016. Here are excerpts from the speech he gave to Homeland Security workers:
Every American has an interest in making sure that the Department of Homeland Security has what it needs to achieve its mission — because we are reliant on that mission every single day.
I’m sending Congress a budget that will make sure you’ve got what you need to achieve your mission. It gives you the resources you need to carry out your mission in a way that is smart and strategic, and makes the most of every dollar. It’s also a broader blueprint for America’s success in this new global economy. Because after a breakthrough year for America — at a time when our economy is growing and our businesses are creating jobs at the fastest pace since the 1990s, and wages are starting to rise again — we’ve got some fundamental choices to make about the kind of country we want to be.
Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or are we going to build an economy where everyone who works hard has a chance to get ahead?
And that was the focus of my State of the Union Address a couple weeks ago — what I called middle-class economics. The idea that this country does best when everybody gets a fair shot, and everybody is doing their fair share, and everybody plays by the same set of rules.
The budget that Congress now has in its hands is built on those values. It helps working families’ paychecks go farther by treating things like paid sick leave and childcare as the economic priorities that they are. It gives Americans of every age the chance to upgrade their skills so they can earn higher wages, and it includes my plan to make two years of community college free for responsible students. It lets us keep building the world’s most attractive economy for high-wage jobs, with new investments in research, and infrastructure and manufacturing, as well as expanded access to faster Internet and new markets for goods made in America.
It’s also a budget that recognizes that our economy flourishes when America is safe and secure. So it invests in our IT networks, to protect them from malicious actors. It supports our troops and strengthens our border security. And it gives us the resources to confront global challenges, from ISIL to Russian aggression.Now, since I took office, we have cut our deficits by about two-thirds. I’m going to repeat that, as I always do when I mention this fact, because the public oftentimes, if you ask them, thinks that the deficit has shot up. Since I took office, we have cut our deficits by about two-thirds. That’s the fastest period of sustained deficit reduction since after the demobilization at the end of World War II. So we can afford to make these investments while remaining fiscally responsible. And, in fact, we cannot afford — we would be making a critical error if we avoided making these investments. We can’t afford not to. When the economy is doing well, we’re making investments when we’re growing. That’s part of what keeps deficits low — because the economy is doing well. So we’ve just got to be smarter about how we pay for our priorities, and that’s what my budget does.
At the end of 2013, I signed a bipartisan budget agreement that helped us end some of the arbitrary cuts known in Washington-speak as “sequestration.” And folks here at DHS know a little too much about sequestration — (laughter) — because many of you have to deal with those cuts, and it made it a lot harder for you to do your jobs.The 2013 agreement to reverse some of those cuts helped to boost our economic growth. Part of the reason why we grew faster last year was we were no longer being burdened by mindless across-the-board cuts, and we were being more strategic about how we handled our federal budget. And now we need to take the next step. So my budget will end sequestration and fully reverse the cuts to domestic priorities in 2016. And it will match the investments that were made domestically, dollar for dollar, with increases in our defense funding.
And just last week, top military officials told Congress that if Congress does nothing to stop sequestration, there could be serious consequences for our national security, at a time when our military is stretched on a whole range of issues. And that’s why I want to work with Congress to replace mindless austerity with smart investments that strengthen America. And we can do so in a way that is fiscally responsible.
I’m not going to accept a budget that locks in sequestration going forward. It would be bad for our security and bad for our growth. I will not accept a budget that severs the vital link between our national security and our economic security. I know there’s some on Capitol Hill who would say, well, we’d be willing to increase defense spending but we’re not going to increase investments in infrastructure, for example, or basic research. Well, those two things go hand in hand. If we don’t have a vital infrastructure, if we don’t have broadband lines across the country, if we don’t have a smart grid, all that makes us more vulnerable. America can’t afford being shortsighted, and I’m not going to allow it.
The budget I’ve sent to Congress today is fully paid for, through a combination of smart spending cuts and tax reforms. Let me give you an example. Right now, our tax code is full of loopholes for special interests — like the trust fund loophole that allows the wealthiest Americans to avoid paying taxes on their unearned income. I think we should fix that and use the savings to cut taxes for middle-class families. That would be good for our economy.
Now, I know there are Republicans who disagree with my approach. And I’ve said this before: If they have other ideas for how we can keep America safe, grow our economy, while helping middle-class families feel some sense of economic security, I welcome their ideas. But their numbers have to add up. And what we can’t do is play politics with folks’ economic security, or with our national security. You, better than anybody, know what the stakes are. The work you do hangs in the balance.
In just a few weeks from now, funding for Homeland Security will run out. That’s not because of anything this department did, it’s because the Republicans in Congress who funded everything in government through September, except for this department. And they’re now threatening to let Homeland Security funding expire because of their disagreeing with my actions to make our immigration system smarter, fairer and safer.
Now let’s be clear, I think we can have a reasonable debate about immigration. I’m confident that what we’re doing is the right thing and the lawful thing. I understand they may have some disagreements with me on that, although I should note that a large majority — or a large percentage of Republicans agree that we need comprehensive immigration reform, and we’re prepared to act in the Senate and should have acted in the House. But if they don’t agree with me, that’s fine, that’s how our democracy works. You may have noticed they usually don’t agree with me. But don’t jeopardize our national security over this disagreement.
As one Republican put it, if they let your funding run out, “it’s not the end of the world.” That’s what they said. Well, I guess literally that’s true; it may not be the end of the world. But until they pass a funding bill, it is the end of a paycheck for tens of thousands of frontline workers who will continue to get — to have to work without getting paid. Over 40,000 Border Patrol and Customs agents. Over 50,000 airport screeners. Over 13,000 immigration officers. Over 40,000 men and women in the Coast Guard. These Americans aren’t just working to keep us safe, they have to take care of their own families. The notion that they would get caught up in a disagreement around policy that has nothing to do with them makes no sense.
And if Republicans let Homeland Security funding expire, it’s the end to any new initiatives in the event that a new threat emerges. It’s the end of grants to states and cities that improve local law enforcement and keep our communities safe. The men and women of America’s homeland security apparatus do important work to protect us, and Republicans and Democrats in Congress should not be playing politics with that.
We need to fund the department, pure and simple. We’ve got to put politics aside, pass a budget that funds our national security priorities at home and abroad, and gives middle-class families the security they need to get ahead in the new economy. This is one of our most basic and most important responsibilities as a government. So I’m calling on Congress to get this done.
Every day, we count on people like you to keep America secure. And you are counting on us as well to uphold our end of the bargain. You’re counting on us to make sure that you’ve got the resources to do your jobs safely and efficiently, and that you’re able to look after your families while you are out there working really hard to keep us safe.
We ask a lot of you. The least we can do is have your backs. That’s what I’m going to keep on doing for as long as I have the honor of serving as your President. I have your back. And I’m going to keep on fighting to make sure that you get the resources you deserve. I’m going to keep fighting to make sure that every American has the chance not just to share in America’s success but to contribute to America’s success. That’s what this budget is about.
It reflects our values in making sure that we are making the investments we need to keep America safe, to keep America growing, and to make sure that everybody is participating no matter what they look like, where they come from, no matter how they started in life, they’ve got a chance to get ahead in this great country of ours. That’s what I believe. That’s what you believe. Let’s get it done.
Following are some early reactions posted by Jewish members of Congress to the proposed budget.
U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-Rhode Island)– “Today, President Obama released his proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2016 that outlines his funding priorities for the year ahead. This proposal builds on the economic progress we have made by properly focusing on the middle class and supports initiatives that create jobs, educate young people, increase access to affordable childcare, and keeps communities safe. As we continue to reduce our national deficit, the President’s plan will help balance the budget by cutting inefficient spending and ending special interest giveaways for the very wealthy. This proposal is a strong starting point for Congress to work together to produce a smart and sensible budget that reflects the priorities of working Americans, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to reach a final agreement that ensures all Americans share in our country’s growing recovery.”
U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) — “President Obama’s budget is a positive vision for our nation’s future that will put us on a sustainable fiscal path. It will spur further economic growth by making critical investments to improve our roads and bridges—creating jobs in Memphis and around the country—and boost take-home pay for the middle-class while closing tax loopholes that allow the wealthiest one percent to avoid paying their fair share.” The President’s budget also gives middle-class families better access to higher education by making college more affordable and helps young adults climb out from under a mountain of student debt by capping monthly payments. And it will also help them find jobs by doing more to develop the high-paying, private-sector jobs that will keep our country competitive in the 21st century.” And by reversing mindless sequestration cuts, this budget proposal will reinvest in the National Institutes of Health, which is another U.S. department of defense that protects us from deadly diseases and illnesses—because Americans are far more likely to be stricken by Alzheimer’s, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, stroke, cancer, or Parkinson’s than by a terrorist attack. President Obama’s budget will help make our economy work for all Americans instead of just the wealthiest among us, and it is a step in the right direction.
U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-New York), Ranking Demolcrat on the House Foreign Relations Committee: “Around the world today, the United States faces tremendous challenges, from violent extremism to nuclear proliferation to climate change. The budget released by the President today will help keep the United States safe and provide for strong American leadership. The budget provides dedicated funding to counter ISIS and other terrorist threats; advances our global health priorities, including a continued commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS and Ebola; provides $1 billion to address the root causes of migration from Central America; and includes important assistance to Ukraine and neighboring countries facing Russian pressure. In addition, the President’s budget keeps our American diplomats safe by providing $4.8 billion for worldwide security protection. A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that many Americans erroneously believe that a significant percentage of the federal budget is spent on foreign assistance. In fact, only 1.4 percent of our budget is dedicated to international affairs, and less than one percent is for foreign aid. Foreign assistance provides a great deal of bang for our buck by keeping Americans safe and promoting U.S. leadership in a very dangerous world. Now I urge my colleagues in the House and Senate to fully fund the President’s FY 2016 international affairs request.”
U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-New York), the Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee: “President Obama’s budget request is a roadmap for responsible growth through middle class economics. After the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the American people have fought their way back. We now have the lowest unemployment rate in over 5 years, rebounding housing and manufacturing sectors, a declining federal deficit, and the economy has created 8 million jobs in the last 4 years. However, the federal government has not done its part to ensure all Americans share in these gains. Years of austerity on federal services and investments have left our economy less competitive, our nation less safe, and the American people less prepared and prosperous than we would have been otherwise. I commend President Obama for his commitment to reversing this dangerous course. It is time to end – once and for all – the damage that mindless across-the-board ‘sequestration’ cuts have imposed on American families. I am particularly pleased by President Obama’s proposals to increase substantially our investments in medical research and development; roads and bridges; and early childhood education and child care. The first order of Congress and of the Appropriations Committee must be enacting a clean and responsible 2015 homeland security funding bill, without poisonous policy riders related to the President’s executive actions on immigration. Following that, I look forward to working with Chairman Rogers through the 2016 appropriations process to invest responsibly in priorities that will help our nation continue to grow and prosper.”
U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colorado): “Over the past several weeks, the President has traveled the country laying out concrete steps to strengthen the middle class, improve our education system, and invest in our economy. The budget that President Obama released today brings together these plans and recognizes that when we make smart investments in our infrastructure, our communities, and our citizens, our nation is stronger. This is in stark contrast to the Republican House leadership who seem to be stuck in a ‘Groundhog Day’ scenario, bringing the same partisan pandering bills to the floor, over and over again. They show no signs of breaking this pattern, with yet another attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act coming to the floor this week. The President’s budget makes a historic commitment to education, and recognizes that pre-k programs and community college should not be luxury items, reserved for the wealthy. This focus on expanding the quality, access to, and affordability of our education system is not just important for our students, but ensures that we have workers ready to succeed in a 21st century economy. This is critically important to Colorado, where our thriving tech and innovation economy needs more and more highly skilled workers every day. I was also thrilled to see many of the programs I have championed included in the budget. These include increased funding for English language learners, additional resources to support educators throughout their careers, and more than $3 billion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.”
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (Ind-Vermont) said Monday that President Obama’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2016 “begins to move us in the right direction. By rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, we can create millions of good-paying jobs. By making community college free, we can finally provide affordable access to higher education for working-class families. By ending outrageous corporate loopholes, and by providing tax breaks to the middle class, we can begin the process of addressing the obscene levels of income and wealth inequality we are experiencing. Clearly, the president’s budget is just a start, but it is a good start. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the committee and in the Senate on a budget that helps the middle class, and not just the top 1 percent.”
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Illinois): President Obama’s budget is a clear blueprint for how we can move our country forward and build an America that works for all of us rather than just the richest few. It reflects our values and it invests in our future by creating jobs, raising wages, investing in child and dependent care, education, infrastructure, research and development, retirement security, and other priorities. This budget would strengthen our country and promote economic security for those who are struggling to make ends meet. In making the argument for new investments, the budget renounces the austerity approach championed by Congressional Republicans and it ends the sequester once and for all. We are the richest country in the world, and we’re richer than we’ve ever been, so it’s time to stop operating through a framework of scarcity. Too many hard-working Americans come home to a big plate of worry every single night. We cannot let this continue when we have the power and resources to improve quality of life for American families….This budget also specifically shows how to pay for those critical investments. We can – and must – ask the richest Americans to pay their fair share by closing tax loopholes, including those that encourage shipping American jobs overseas. These loopholes are fundamentally unfair. We can – and must – make it more costly for financial institutions to make the same kind of risky moves that brought our entire economy to the brink of disaster 7 years ago. By taking these and other steps, we can help get average Americans back on their feet again. In his well-prioritized plan, the President also responsibly continues to reduce the deficit – to the tune of almost $2 trillion over the next decade.With this budget every American can do better. Even the top 1 percent will do better if working families have more money in their pockets to spend on the goods and services they need….
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The Jewish Citizen
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U.S. Senate
AIRBAG SAFETY — In the wake of another recent potential death linked to Takata’s exploding airbags, Democratic U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson of Florida, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, and Ed Markey of Massachusetts have written to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Mark Rosekind to ask for a comprehensive update on NHTSA’s oversight of recalls and voluntary service campaigns associated with the Takata airbag defect. “We trust that you agree it is imperative that these dangerous and deadly airbags be taken off the roads and repaired as quickly as possible,” the Senators wrote. Specifically, the Senators requested that NHTSA consider using its authority to compel Takata and car manufacturers to work with additional airbag manufacturers to speed up the availability of replacement parts. “With more than 12 million impacted vehicles in the United States, it will take over two years to repair all of them. NHTSA has authority to compel Takata to share information with other airbag manufacturers in order to expedite the repair process and ensure a sufficient number of replacement parts are available. The American public is counting on NHTSA to do the right thing and use all of the authority at its disposal to prevent more avoidable deaths, injuries, and damages.”
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OVERTIME PAY — Seven Jewish senators are among the 26 that have sent a letter to President Barack Obama asking his administration to change the rules so that anyone earning less than $57,000 per year would be eligible for time-and-a-half overtime pay. Such a rule change could affect as many as 24 million workers, according to Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Fellow Jews joining him in sending a letter to the President were Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Al Franken of Minnesota, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Charles Schumer of New York and Ron Wyden of Oregon.
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AIRLINE SAFETY — At the Flight 3407 Memorial in Clarence Center, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) joined with ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ pilot and aviation safety expert Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, as well as the families of Flight 3407, to launch a push to protect critical federal aviation safety regulations that were enacted following the tragic crash of Flight 3407 that took the lives of 50 people. Schumer said that, with this year’s upcoming reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), some regional airlines are looking to use it as an opportunity to water down or roll back some of the most stringent and effective safety standards, including the requirement that commercial co-pilots have 1,500 flight hours of total time as a pilot before being certified. “The tragic February 2009 crash of Continental Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York claimed 50 lives and alerted the nation to the shortfalls in our aviation safety system, particularly at the regional airline level.” Schumer said. The Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010″sought to address many of the factors contributing to the increasing safety gap between regional and mainline carriers by requiring the FAA to develop regulations to improve safety, including enhanced entry-level pilot training and qualification standards, pilot fatigue rules, airline pilot training and safety management programs, and through the creation of an electronic pilot record database.”
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U.S. House of Representatives
LGBT RIGHTS – U.S. Rep. David Cicilline (D-Rhode Island) on Monday, Feb. 2, called on Rep. Chris Smith, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Human Rights Initaitives, to retract his statement differentiating LGBT rights from human rights. According to Cicilline: “On January 27, 2015… Smith (R-NJ… stated he does ‘not construe homosexual rights’ as human rights’ during a House Foreign Affairs Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations Subcommittee hearing.” Cicilline, who serves on this subcommittee and serves as Co-Chair of the Equality Caucus , is one of seven lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) members of Congress. “It is completely unacceptable for the chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees human rights to say during a hearing that was broadcast around the world that he does ‘not construe “homosexual rights” as human rights.’ Chairman Smith’s reckless comments, at a time of escalating violence against LGBT individuals around the world, sends a dangerous message that it is permissible to deny basic human rights to members of the LGBT community. I call upon Chairman Smith to retract this statement and affirm that all human beings enjoy basic human rights, including LGBT individuals.
LOBBYISTS—U.S. Rep. Steve Israel (D-New York) on Monday, Feb. 2, reintroduced legislation that would prevent any former Members of Congress who work as registered lobbyists and are compensated $1 million or more from accessing their congressional pensions. Israel said, “Former Members of Congress who have earned a million dollars or more in a single year as lobbyists are the last people who should be receiving federal pensions. Instead of helping support millionaires, my legislation will ensure that taxpayer funds are spent helping the middle class and working families who need it most.” The Revolving Door Pension Prevention Act, H.R. 567, would force any former Members of Congress who become millionaire lobbyists to forfeit their federal pensions. A Republic Report investigation into the partial salary reports of 12 former lawmakers that became lobbyists showed that their salaries increased by an average of 1,452% from the last year they were in office to the latest publicly available disclosure.
SOCIAL SECURITY–U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey (D-New York), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, on Saturday, Jan. 31, joined White Plains, New York, Mayor Tom Roach and a group of local senior citizens to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first Social Security check. “Seventy-five years after the first Social Security check was issued, the program continues to give seniors peace of mind in retirement,” said Lowey. “People who have worked hard their entire lives deserve our support, and efforts that jeopardize retirement benefits run contrary to the American spirit. I’ll stand up to veiled efforts to dismantle this successful program that helps more than 55 million Americans, including more than 125,000 residents in Westchester and Rockland.”
Local Government
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS – On Super Bowl Sunday, U-T San Diego ran a full length feature on Steve Cushman, who is a special advisor to Mayor Kevin Faulconer on the convention center and the nemesis of San Diego Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani, who is trying to persuade the city to build the NFL team a new stadium near Petco Park. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/31/cushman-chargers-stadium-fabiani/4/?#article-copy Along the way, the article quotes Mel Katz and Brian Seltzer.
Military Veterans
World War II POW – U-T San Diego ran a feature on the life and career of Joel Sollender, who was held in a POW camp by Germans who were unaware that he was Jewish. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/feb/01/tp-former-pow-also-unbroken/
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Items about Jewish women in Congress are sponsored by Laura Galinson in memory of her father, Murray Galinson.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. Your comment on any of these items may be posted in the space provided below or sent to donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com