mr. chairman , i thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time .  as a member of the joint economic committee , i rise today to speak on the economic policies of the budget resolution .  mr. chairman , both the bush and republican budgets suffer from the same infirmities , fiscal irresponsibility and self-serving and out-of-touch priorities .  both are wholly inadequate to meet the needs of our nation and will pass along mounting deficits and debts to generations yet unborn .  first , the 5-year republican budget will result in a deficit of $ 376 billion in 2006 , $ 44 million over the president 's projection .  the republicans ' budget proposal also has many cost omissions , because they know that their deficit numbers explode after 5 years .  as such , this budget does not take into account the cost of fixing the amt , which will cost at least $ 642 billion .  it does not take into account the $ 774 billion needed to pay for the president 's much-talked about but yet unveiled social security privatization plan .  i suppose the republican budget proposal deserves a little credit for hiking its deficit projection as it at least includes $ 50 million in 2006 for the wars in afghanistan and in iraq .  the president 's budget proposal contained zero dollars .  as a matter of fact , it reported that the costs could not be known .  however , both figures are fantasy .  the realistic figure over the next 10 years , in addition to the $ 80 billion that we just passed in the supplemental , is likely to be $ 384 billion .  to pay for its misguided policies , the house budget resolution cuts nondefense discretionary spending by $ 12 billion below the amount needed in fiscal 2006 just to maintain current spending levels , and it cuts spending on mandatory domestic programs by $ 8 billion .  to add insult to injury , the republican budget provides $ 18 billion in additional tax cuts .  these misguided tax cuts will actually cost much more when the tax cuts actually expire in 2010 .  in fact , 97 percent of these tax cuts will benefit taxpayers with incomes above $ 200 , 000 .  i think most reasonable people can agree that these priorities are not america 's priorities .  while little good can be said about the bush administration 's budget , it at least provides detailed information on the programs it seeks to cut .  the house resolution shrouds its cuts in darkness , leaving the american people to wonder what vital programs will find their way to the chopping block next .  both the republican and bush budget proposals are travesties .  when the bush administration took office , the nation was experiencing record surpluses .  it has managed to turn a $ 521 billion surplus into a $ 367 billion deficit .  in contrast , the spratt alternative budget , as well as the congressional black caucus alternative budget that we will consider tomorrow , focus national spending on priorities that benefit all americans and get us on the road to economic recovery .  they do this by funding key domestic priorities which address the needs of working families while fully supporting the national defense and protection of our homeland and preserving medicaid , social security , pension programs and student loans .  let me speak particularly about the budget developed by the congressional black caucus which corrects the irresponsible fiscal and economic policies contained in the house budget resolution by supporting existing programs that are essential to closing disparities , creating opportunities and helping our citizens build their future .  it will get our country on the road to recovery , while funding meaningful national priorities for our children , for our seniors , for our veterans and for our communities .  importantly , the congressional black caucus budget supports these priorities , while also meeting our obligation to our troops in iraq and in afghanistan .  the cbc budget funds community development programs , including restoring funding to the community development block grant program and supporting increased funding for elderly and disabled housing programs .  the congressional black caucus budget will also restore funding for veterans ' health care , rather than imposing new copayments on them for essential services and prescription drugs .  importantly , the congressional black caucus budget will reduce the budget deficit by $ 167 billion during the next 5 years below the deficit that will be produced by the house budget resolution .  mr. chairman , the republican budget cuts educational , housing and health programs for our children , while bequeathing to them a public debt that has increased by $ 1.268 trillion over the last 4 years and that will exceed $ 4.6 trillion even before we begin fiscal year 2006 .  these actions are not only irresponsible , they are unconscionable .  in the end , one can only conclude that the republican budget balances itself on the backs of americans who can least afford it .  i urge the administration to reconsider its ill-conceived economic policies .  the congressional black caucus budget is the ultimate expression of our national priorities ; and our priorities must be our children , our families , our elderly and our veterans and , of course , our soldiers .  