BUDGET & SPENDING HIGHLIGHTS  INTEREST GROUP RATINGS CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS THE XXXX RECORD FY 2009 BUDGETS FY 2009 BUDGETS XXXX Voted Against the Final FY 2009 Budget. In June 2008, XXXX voted against the $3.03 trillion budget blueprint. The budget would allow Congress to appropriate $24.5 billion more than the $991.6 billion Bush requested in discretionary spending, when cap adjustments and advance appropriations are included. The conference agreement was adopted on a 48-45 vote that largely followed party lines. [CQ Today, 6/04/08; Vote 142, 6/04/08] XXXX Voted Against the FY 2009 Budget. In March 2008, XXXX voted against the fiscal 2009 budget resolution. The resolution would allow up to $1 trillion in discretionary spending for 2009. It would allow for a $35 billion economic stimulus package and would assume a one-year adjustment to prevent additional taxpayers from paying the alternative minimum tax. As amended, the resolution would allow for the extension of certain 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, including the 10 percent tax bracket and the child tax credit. The budget was adopted 51-44 in the early hours of March 14, though the session began and thus is dated March 13. [Vote 85, 3/13/08]  Jobs. XXXX voted against approximately 500,000 new good-paying construction and green collar jobs.  Middle class tax cuts. XXXX voted against an extension of the child tax credit, against marriage penalty relief, and against lower income taxes for all families, to hold middle class tax relief hostage unless multi- millionaires get more tax breaks averaging $120,000 per year.  Affordable college. XXXX voted against an extension of tuition tax credits that helps make college more affordable to middle class families.  Job training. Private employers have cut hundreds of thousands of jobs in the last three months, but XXXX voted against restoring over $2 billion in proposed cuts to job training and vocational education st programs to help youth and adults prepare for 21 century jobs.  Clean energy. XXXX voted against major new investments in clean energy and the green collar jobs they create.  Veterans. The budget XXXX voted against includes $3.2 billion more than the Bush budget for veterans’ programs, covering the amount veterans’ groups have identified as necessary to address shortfalls in health care, prosthetic research, benefits backlogs, and construction.  Close down offshoring tax shelters. XXXX voted against shutting down tax shelters that let U.S. corporations evade billions in taxes by re-incorporating in the Cayman Islands and other offshore locations.  Infrastructure. XXXX voted against a $10 billion investment in the roads and bridges that are the lifeblood of our economy, which would create hundreds of thousands of new jobs. [Vote 85, 3/14/08; Chairman’s Mark of FY 2009 Budget Resolution, 3/6/08] 25