Bush Budget Fails Rural America

February 6, 2008 - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), and Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) today unveiled the Senate Democratic Caucus' "Rural Report Card," a report that illustrates the President's neglect of domestic programs critical to rural America. The rural state Senators argued that the President's budget proposal for fiscal year 2009 weakens the economy and does not reflect a strong commitment to the priorities of rural Americans, making drastic cuts to rural healthcare, education, economic development, law enforcement, and agriculture. Click here to download copy (pdf) of the report.

"The president's budget is out of sync with Nevada's priorities," Senator Reid said. "First, it raises taxes by excluding the sales tax deduction, which is currently available to Nevadans and residents of many other states that have no state income tax. On top of that, every year since he has taken office, the President has proposed cuts to Payment in Lieu of Taxes (or PILT) payments to rural communities, which rely on them to offset property tax losses in counties with large amounts of federal lands. Nevada, for example, is 87 percent federally owned. I will continue my work with my Senate colleagues to strengthen our rural communities by fully funding PILT and by creating rural jobs through investments in renewable energy." Read more.

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