THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION: BAD FOR HISPANICS

ECONOMY

1.1 Million Hispanic Americans Out of Work. The unemployment rate among Hispanic Americans was 5.3 percent last month- significantly higher than the unemployment rate for whites. [BLS, 9/1/06]

HEALTH CARE AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Bush 2007 Budget Cuts $42 Billion from Medicaid, Disproportionately Harming

Hispanics. The Bush budget includes net cuts in Medicaid of $42 billion over the next five years. Hispanic advocates say that Bush's proposed Medicaid cuts will have "severe" effects on their community, with states possibly seeing more uninsured and underinsured Latinos. Adrian Nunez, program manager for the Californiao-based Latino Issues Forum, said: "These major reductions in funding would shift a huge financial burden on states like California that are already facing deficits," he says. "The states are going to be less able to provide to those who are most in need." Gabriela Lemus, policy analyst for the League of United Lation American Citzens, adds that because Latinos tend to rely on such programs for health insurance, "they will certainly feel the impact." Victoria Wachino, health policy director with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, comments that if Congress approves the cuts, people of color are "most likely to bear the brunt." [Office of the House Democratic Leaders, 2/2006; Hispanic News Service, 3/9/05]

EDUCATION

Bush 2007 Budget Betrays The Approximately 20 Percent of K-12 Schoolchildren Who are Hispanic. The Bush budget cuts overall spending for the Education Department by 3.8 percent, and eliminates key programs including Vocation Education State Grants, Educational Technology State Grants, Safe and Drug-Free School State Grants and School Dropout Prevention. The budget provides $15.4 billion less in funding for education than promised by the No Child Left Behind Act. It also fails to provide any increase for Head Start which helps 324,000 Latino children. [Office of the House Democratic Leader, 2/2006]

How do you feel about the Bush Administration policy on the Hispanic community?