Congresswoman Matsui on the President's Budget Outline for FY 2013

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, February 13, 2012

CONTACT: ALANA JUTEAU
(202) 225-7163

Congresswoman Matsui on the President's Budget Outline for FY 2013

Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) highlighted the commitments to education, worker-training, manufacturing, clean energy, and infrastructure laid out in President Obama's FY2013 budget blueprint.

"I was pleased to see the President lay out a budget blueprint today that makes significant investments in education, job training, health care, clean energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure," said Congresswoman Matsui. "While deficit reduction is a goal that we all share, in light of our fragile economic recovery, now is not the time for austerity. We must make investments that capitalize on the recovery we have seen, and prepare America for a strong future."

The President's budget makes significant investments in our nation's education - from $300 million in new resources to prepare children through early education to $80 million to recruit 100,000 STEM teachers. It will make college more affordable by sustaining the maximum Pell Grant award, preventing student loan interest rates from doubling this summer, making the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent, and providing new incentives for colleges to keep costs down. The budget also includes an $8 billion Community College to Career Fund to be co-administered by the Department of Education and Department of Labor. This fund would help forge new partnerships between community colleges and businesses to train two million workers for good-paying jobs in high-demand industries.

"We must give our students and workers the foundation to compete in a global marketplace," said Matsui. "We have to make the changes and investments today that will prepare our students and workers for tomorrow's industries. The public-private partnership that the President proposed will do just that."

The budget proposes more than $350 billion in short-term measures for immediate job growth, including an extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance benefits through the end of 2012; $30 billion to modernize 35,000 schools; $30 billion to help states and localities keep or hire teachers and first responders; and a new tax credit for small businesses that hire.

"The economy continues to be the top issue facing our country, and the President's plan would help put millions of Americans to work again while setting our nation on the right path moving forward," said Matsui.
In addition, the President's plan makes key investments in clean energy and manufacturing, and requests a 3.2 percent budget increase for the Department of Energy over FY12. The plan would provide tax incentives for manufacturers who create jobs and doubles the deduction for advanced manufacturing, in addition to making the Randamp;D tax credit permanent.

Matsui commented, "Making the Randamp;D tax credit permanent is something that I have continued to advocate for, as are investments in America's clean energy manufacturing. These investments will help keep America competitive and innovative, and will strengthen our middle class by helping to restore our manufacturing sector."

President Obama also proposed a six-year, $476 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill in his budget. It is fully paid for through current user-financed mechanisms and part of the savings from the end of the war in Iraq. It will employ a Race to the Top-style competition to bring about reform and fund the most deserving programs. Additionally, a National Infrastructure Bank will be created to fund projects of national importance. Further, the budget calls for a next-generation, wireless broadband network for public safety users.

"Investing in infrastructure projects will ensure public safety, create jobs, and make an America that is built for the future. Just as I have advocated time and again in Subcommittee, it is essential that we provide our public safety personnel with an interoperable broadband network," said Matsui, a member of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Locally, the budget allocates over $98 million to Sacramento's flood projects, and $46 million for RT's South Line Phase II light rail extension.

"In order to lay the groundwork for an America andlsquo;built to last', we must take action now to keep our country competitive," concluded Congresswoman Matsui. "This means investing in American education, clean energy, manufacturing, and infrastructure. The President has once again given Congress a blueprint that will create jobs, grow our economy, and keep our country competitive; I implore my colleagues to get to work on these proposals today."

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