27/02/2008 at 10:00AM
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) opening statement:
We are here today to review the Administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2009 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency.
Since this is the Bush Administration’s final budget proposal, let’s ask ourselves a simple question:
Is EPA better able today to protect people and communities from serious public health and environmental problems than it was when this Administration took the reins?
The answer is a resounding “No.”
The Bush Administration’s proposed budget for 2009 represents a 26% decline in overall EPA funding since the Administration’s first budget was enacted, when adjusted for inflation. Budgets are about priorities – this shows the low priority that the Bush Administration places on environmental protection.
Witness
- Stephen L. Johnson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency