Washington, DC - U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today issued the following statement in response to the release of President Bush's FY 2009 budget:

"The President's 2009 budget leaves too many middle-class Americans out in the cold. It cuts or freezes funding for education, housing, health care, and home heating assistance programs.

"The President's budget would provide Rhode Island with only $53.2 million in Title I funds to support local schools, which is $40 million less than was originally authorized. Since the enactment of No Child Left Behind, the President has underfunded Title I by $65.4 billion nationally.

"Instead of increasing support to struggling homeowners, the President is inexplicably seeking to cut homeownership counseling by $115 million and decrease Community Development Block Grants by $659 million. These cuts would severely shortchange programs that help Rhode Islanders have access to affordable housing.

"The President's budget blueprint would also reduce Medicare by $178 billion and Medicaid by $17 billion over the next five years. Such drastic cuts jeopardize the availability of services.

"Many Rhode Islanders would see a reduction in their home heating assistance under President Bush's budget, which cuts $570 million in LIHEAP funding and completely terminates the weatherization assistance program.

"These budget cuts are shortsighted and wrong. We need a fiscally responsible budget that will promote economic growth here at home and reduce President Bush's practice of deficit spending. In the coming weeks and months, I will work with my colleagues in Congress to restore funding for priorities critical to working Rhode Islanders."