mr. chairman , i want to thank the chairman of the congressional black caucus , the gentleman from north carolina ( mr. watt )  , for his steadfast support of the development of this cbc budget alternative and also the gentleman from virginia ( mr. scott )  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 .  