Washington
, DC
–
U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, praised Congressional passage today of the
Fiscal Year 2010 Concurrent Budget Resolution, saying that it lays out important priorities for our nation’s future economic health.
 The Senate passed the measure 53-43.
 It was passed 233-193 by the House of Representatives earlier in the day.

“America’s economy is still in crisis, but the budget resolution passed by both the Senate and House today provides an honest and responsible blueprint for Congress to confront the difficult challenges our nation faces in a fiscally responsible way.
 

“Over the last 100 days, President Obama has demonstrated that he is ready and able to clean up the mess left for him by his predecessor – a record $1.75 trillion deficit; the worst recession since the Great Depression; financial and housing crises; and millions of lost jobs. As a member of the Budget Committee that developed this budget outline in partnership with President Obama, I am proud of how Congress restores America’s priorities by outlining a path for substantial investments in job creation, ending our dependence on foreign energy, establishing a foundation for universal health coverage, helping veterans and small businesses, and improving our schools so that our children can compete in the 21
^st century. We also lessen the financial burden on our children and grandchildren by reducing the inherited federal deficits two-thirds by 2014.

“Fixing our economy is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. It is an American issue that impacts each and every one of us. I look forward to working in a bipartisan manner with President Obama to continue on our current path of tax relief for working families, bringing our budget into balance, and investing in universal health care, education, veterans, small business, and energy independence.

“We will lift ourselves out of this recession and we will balance the federal budget, but there is still much work to be done. Our success relies on tackling the underlying problems like our broken health care system, which currently is fragmented, inefficient, and a drain on our budget.
 The United States currently spends twice as much on health care as comparable countries – $2.4 trillion in 2008 – yet we do not have the results to reflect that type of investment and 46 million Americans lack health insurance, including 755,000 in Maryland.

“The high cost of providing care for those who do not pay for insurance is carried by the workers and employers who do.
  This budget sets us on a course to save money in our health care system by investing in preventative care, information technology, and eliminating disparities in our health care system. These and other provisions will help reduce or eliminate the number of Americans who are uninsured and allow for streamlined management of care, saving tax payer resources and saving lives.”