Smaller, yet still needed, health programs on budget chopping block

President Bush, despite putting off some of his top agenda items the administration had planned for 2006, still submitted his (slanted) budget a couple of weeks ago and as everyone and their brother dissect it, more and more limitations and eliminations are being discovered.

While Shrub (sorry, I mean Bush… I really have to stop doing that) has asked for billions more to prep for potential disasters such as a biological or nuclear attack or a pandemic of some sort, his proposed budget for next year would kill many much-needed and popular health projects.

The 2007 budget that he submitted would eliminate federal programs that support inner-city Indian health clinics, a rural area defibrillators program, an educational campaign to teach people about Alzheimer's disease and centers for traumatic brain injuries. Additionally, it would cut almost $1 billion in health care grants to all states. (Specifically, Bush wants to eliminate, or significantly scale back, 141 relatively small programs, most of which have been targeted by the administration before and were saved by both sides of Congress)

This is progress? This is helping the American people? Don’t get me wrong (and I know a few conservative trolls on this site will get me wrong… as they always do) I’m all for National Security and protecting the citizens of this country… but how is eliminating federal health programs that help millions of people protecting citizens?

Senators and Congressmen from both sides of the aisle have already identified this budget as being reckless and uncertain, and we need to take steps to make sure that it does not get approved as is and that changes are made… changes that work for the American people, not against them.