What Bush's budget means for Mississippi

By Staff
April 15, 2001
President Bush's budget funds America's priorities, provides the largest debt reduction in history, and provides fair and responsible tax relief to all taxpayers. The budget is especially good news for the people of Mississippi.
Here is a look at how the budget affects Mississippians:
Paying down the national debt: The president's budget provides the fastest and largest debt reduction in history. A smaller government debt means lower interest rates on Mississippi citizens' home mortgages, car loans, credit cards, and other expenses.
Just as important, a lower national debt makes sure future generations are not burdened with repaying the debt.
Protecting Social Security and Medicare: The budget locks away every penny of the $2.6 trillion Social Security surplus for Social Security  not
for anything else  and preserves Medicare by making sure all Medicare funds are spent only for Medicare and increasing the funding by $21 billion next year.
Strengthens Education: The budget increases Mississippi's education funding over current levels to more than $517 million to give local schools more tools to educate every child. Head Start in Mississippi is also funded over current levels to more than $151 million to better prepare Mississippi's children for success in the classroom.
Tax Relief to All Taxpayers: The budget gives tax relief to everyone who pays federal income taxes including more than 786,000 Mississippians. In addition, more than 149,000 Mississippi small businesses benefit from lower tax rates and the Research &Development tax credit becoming permanent
President Bush's tax relief plan helps lower income families the most. For example, a family of four in Mississippi making $35,000 a year would receive a 100 percent income tax reduction; a family of four making $50,000 a year would receive a 50 percent tax cut; and a family of four making $75,000 would get a 25 percent tax reduction.
Conservation and the Environment: More than $42 million in funding for water resource initiatives along Mississippi's rivers and waterways is included in the President's budget. More than $32 million is included to fund Mississippi's environmental protection efforts.
Transportation: The President's budget includes an estimated $365 million in highway funding for Mississippi's transportation and infrastructure priorities. Improving our state's highways and bridges means better economic development opportunities for all Mississippians.
Medical Research: The budget doubles funding for medical research being done at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Medical research on important health issues such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease helps Mississippians who suffer from these health conditions.
Mississippi has the highest rate of any state of deaths due to heart disease. The research being done at NIH will help uncover the factors that cause many health problems, and as a result find new treatments and preventative measures to help people stay healthy and live longer.
President Bush's budget and vision for America is good for our state and our country. As Congress considers each piece of the budget in the upcoming weeks, I will continue working to make sure Mississippi's key issues are included and represented.
Paying off our debt, protecting Social Security and Medicare, strengthening education, and providing much-needed tax relief to all taxpayers are the goals of the President's budget.
I believe those are priorities Mississippians can support as well.
U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., represents Mississippi's Third Congressional District. Write to him at 427 Cannon Building, Washington, D.C. 20515, or call (202) 225-5031.