mr. chairman , i want to thank the chairman of the congressional black caucus , the gentleman from north carolina ( mr. watt ) xz4004240 , for his steadfast support of the development of this cbc budget alternative and also the gentleman from virginia ( mr. scott ) xz4003641 for his leadership . 
i appreciate and applaud their steady stream of ideas and positions on issues we all care about . 
this republican budget proposal clearly ignores the needs of my state and all working americans . 
the $ 2.57 trillion budget for fiscal year 2006 that president bush laid before congress is more out of touch than all the rest that he has submitted . 
it fails to include huge costs that taxpayers will have to bear , and its priorities do not match the needs of millions of people . 
it is , in short , a budget in need of a thorough congressional overhaul . 
the level of funding proposed in the president 's budget for research and development , especially basic research , is far from adequate . 
i believe that federal investments in science and technology make sense . 
americans have funded groundbreaking research into disease prevention and amazing new medical breakthroughs , cutting-edge business technology , energy efficiency and educational tools that help our children learn in new ways . 
but in this budget , funding for the national science foundation would struggle to keep up with inflation and programs at most other major agencies are cut . 
there is a direct connection between investments in research and development today and economic prosperity and world leadership tomorrow . 
that is why the cbc budget plan would continue to invest in the national science foundation , in nasa , research at schools and universities and new energy technologies to give business consumers more affordable , cleaner energy . 
just this week , epa issued a statement that really rolls us back in protecting our air . 
we have no clean air in texas . 
i do not know about anyplace else . 
as lawmakers , we do have the responsibility to ensure that all americans , including minorities , are able to move ahead to achieve the american dream . 
life , liberty , and the pursuit of happiness meant all people . 
mr. chairman , it is up to the congress to inject a dose of realism into this budget debate . 
only then will the country get a budget that makes sense . 
mr. chairman , i want to thank the chairman of the congressional black caucus , mr. watt , for his steadfast support of the development of this cbc budget alternate . 
i also want to thank mr. scott for his leadership . 
i appreciate and applaud their steady stream of ideas and positions on issues we all care about . 
i also would like to thank all of the members of the cbc and their staff for their help in completing this very worthwhile project . 
the republican budget proposal clearly ignores the needs of texas and of all working americans . 
the $ 2.57 trillion budget for fiscal 2006 that president bush laid before congress is more out of touch than most . 
it fails to include huge costs that taxpayers will have to bear , and its priorities do n't match the needs of millions of people . 
it is , in short , a budget in need of a thorough congressional overhaul . 
mr. chairman , the level of funding proposed in the president 's budget for research and development , especially basic research , is far from adequate . 
i believe that federal investments in science and technology make sense . 
americans have funded groundbreaking research into disease prevention and amazing new medical breakthroughs , cutting-edge business technology , energy efficiency , and educational tools that help our children learn in new ways . 
but in this budget package , funding for the national science foundation ( nsf ) would struggle to keep up with inflation , and programmes at most other major agencies are cut . 
bush 's science and technology budget would drop from an estimated $ 61.7 billion in fiscal year 2005 to $ 60.8 billion in 2006 . 
the science and technology includes programs such as space exploration , renewable energy , and agricultural research , as well as technology-related research and development at the national institute of standards and technology ( nist ) . 
there is a direct connection between investments in research and development today , and economic prosperity and world leadership tomorrow . 
that 's why cbc budget plan would continue to invest in the national science foundation , nasa , research at schools and universities ; and new energy technologies to give business and consumers more affordable , cleaner energy . 
as lawmakers , we have the responsibility to ensure that all americans , including minorities , are able to move ahead to achieve the american dream : life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness . 
mr. chairman , it is up to congress to inject a dose of realism into the budget debate . 
only then will the country get a budget that makes sense . 
