22 December 2005

Fucking bandits...

In a year of record budget deficits and tax cuts for the rich, the United States Senate voted late last night to cut programs for - you guessed it - students, the poor, and the elderly. Way to fucking go, you bastards.

Federal program cuts

The spending-cut bills passed by the House on Monday and the Senate on Wednesday would scale back funding for a range of federal programs over the next five years. Savings would amount to about $40 billion. President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law after the House agrees to small changes made by the Senate.

  • Program: Student loans
    • Total cuts: $22 billion
    • Major changes: Charge graduates higher repayment rates; scale back government subsidies for banks and other lenders; reduce government administrative expenses.
  • Program: Medicare
    • Total cuts: $6 billion
    • Major changes: Charge high-income beneficiaries more for their insurance for doctor visits; reduce payments to managed care providers.
  • Program: Medicaid
    • Total cuts: $5 billion
    • Major changes: Tighten rules against sheltering assets for determining Medicaid eligibility; allow states to reduce services and charge higher co-payments, particularly for recipients above the poverty line.
  • Program: Pensions
    • Total cuts: $4 billion
    • Major changes: Raise the fee charged by the government to guarantee private pensions.
  • Program: Child support
    • Total cuts: $2 billion
    • Major changes: Cut federal aid to states for enforcement of child-support payments by parents.

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