{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-to-president-bush-it-simply-doesnt-add-up", "CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE TO PRESIDENT BUSH: \"IT SIMPLY DOESN'T ADD UP!\"", "2001-02-27", "2001", "2001-02", "Democrat", "House", "CA", "Barbara Lee", "L000551", "lee.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "02.27.01\n\t\t\t CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE TO PRESIDENT BUSH: \"IT SIMPLY DOESN'T ADD UP!\" \n\t\t\tWashington, DC - Following his address to Congress, Congresswoman Barbara Lee responded to President Bush's budget\r\n   plan. In order to finance his proposed $1.6 trillion tax cut, President\r\nBush will have to cut $300 billion over ten years from other  \r\n   programs such as Social Security and Medicare, environmental protection, job training, and housing. Bush's proposal includes  \r\n   the Social Security and Medicare trust funds as part of the surpluses available to fund his tax cut and Social Security  \r\n   privatization.  Congresswoman Lee is the Vice-Chair of the House Progressive\r\nCaucus and supports its American People's Dividend which will\r\nprovide a $300 tax credit to every adult and child in the country. The\r\nyearly dividend is based on surplus projections and contains\r\na built-in trigger so that the dividend can be suspended if there are\r\nno future surpluses. \"This plan is simple, comprehensive, and\r\nfiscally responsible,\" said Lee. \"It is progressive in that low- and\r\nmoderate-income families will get more back than under Bush's\r\nplan. These are the people that need the tax break, not the rich, and\r\nnot big corporations.\" \"For President Bush to want to address the education crisis, expand defense spending, pay down the debt, shore up Social  \r\nSecurity and Medicare, and give a tax cut that exceeds $2 trillion if\r\nmade retroactive, is ludicrous. It simply doesn't add up,\" said\r\nLee. \"Additionally, we have 44 million Americans without health\r\ninsurance, yet Bush only mentioned a tax credit but no  \r\n   comprehensive strategy to address this issue.\"  \"I am also particularly concerned to hear reports that the Bush\r\nAdministration will freeze funding for the Department of Housing\r\nand Urban Development. Urban areas like the cities of Oakland,\r\nBerkeley, and Alameda in California's Ninth Congressional\r\nDistrict are facing a critical and severe affordable housing shortage,\r\nand this is not the time to inadequately fund programs that\r\nhelp elderly and low-income people,\" said Lee.  In closing, Congresswoman Lee made the following remark: \"I would like to see President Bush and his Administration show  \r\n   more leadership on the pressing social issues such as housing, health care, education, and Social Security and Medicare  \r\n   solvency. These are real problems, but his trickle down tax cut will not help most Americans deal with them.\" \r\n###\r\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n \n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://lee.house.gov/news/press-releases/congresswoman-barbara-lee-to-president-bush-it-simply-doesnt-add-up"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7731379009783268, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}