A national budget represents the values and priorities we place on problems and issues confronting the country, directing limited resources to meet them. President Bush just released his proposed budget for the upcoming year. It includes huge increases for military spending, a massive infusion of money for “homeland defense” and endless tax cuts for the wealthy. The budget slashes funding for workers programs and other programs important to organized labor.

Telling workers “go to hell”

Real defense is a critical function of every government, but so is a defense against poverty, inadequate health care and a crumbling transportation system. If you add up the increases in military spending, homeland defense and tax cuts, it leaves the government unable to meet the general welfare needs of the public—even if Bush had the inclination to do so. As for any advancement of America’s workers and the creation of good, safe jobs, the President’s budget falls far short. In fact, in essence the Bush budget tells workers to go to hell.

American worker suffers deepest cuts

The workers’ department within the President’s cabinet, the Department of Labor, received a seven percent cut in discretionary spending under the proposed budget, faring far worse than any other department.

Within the Department of Labor, the President proposes cutting such key worker protections as workplace safety and health standards and enforcement and federal contract compliance. These cuts will hurt, injure and maim American workers—literally.

Bush also proposes cutting the staffing for the Wage and Hour Administration. This Labor Dept. bureau enforces numerous federal laws prescribing basic workplace standards, including the minimum wage, overtime, child labor protection laws, migrant worker protection laws, prevailing wage laws and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Collectively these laws cover virtually every worker in the U.S.

What about worker training?

Despite increases in unemployment and economic hardship over the last year, the Bush budget cuts critical worker training programs by nine percent. Every worker training program in the budget is cut or eliminated except one.

That one processes and expedites employers’ applications for permanent labor certificates so employers are able to bring skilled foreign workers to the U.S. under the H1-B visa program. They get permission to do that when the Dept. of Labor certifies that there are an insufficient numbers of American workers to do the jobs. To increase that program Bush shifts $138 million in funding from other programs designed to train American workers. This proposal shows that Bush has given up on training Americans to perform high skill, high technology jobs.

Targeting union members

One other program in the Dept. of Labor is not slashed in Bush’s budget. The President proposes to increase significantly both funding and staffing for the Labor Dept. offices that investigate unions and union members. The Office of LaborManagement Standards conducts both civil and criminal investigations into union finances and elections. The Administration’s budget boosts funding for this office by 13 percent. With increased funding and staff, the Dept. of Labor projects an additional 634 audits and investigations of unions in 2003.

“Stealing” from Social Security

In addition to cutting programs for American workers, one critical area that the Bush administration sacrifices in order to pay for the increases in defense, security and tax cuts for wealthy individuals and corporations is the Social Security system. The Bush plan spends $2 trillion of the Social Security and Medicare surpluses over the next decade to pay for Bush’s priorities. The President’s strategy is to pretend he is not dipping into Social Security until the midterm elections are over this year. Next year the President will claim there is a crisis in Social Security and push for privatization of the system. 

Privatize Social Security—and pray

Converting Social Security into a stock market scheme will make the rich richer and shaft working people. —continued on page 6