On domestic issues, the president has been just as productive and equally in tune with Jewish interests and values. In the area of education for instance, the president co-sponsored a bill with Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy, which received broad bipartisan support. The president’s overall fiscal year 2005 budget reflects a 48 percent increase for elementary and secondary education since his 2001 budget. Through the No Child Left Behind Act, historic levels of support are combined with an extraordinary commitment to achieving high standards and accountability in America’s schools, producing tangible results for every child.
The president’s common sense tax relief has helped spur the present impressive economic recovery. President Bush has increased the child tax credit to $1,000 by 2010, reduced the marriage penalty beginning in 2005, phased out the death tax, increased education tax benefits and expanded pension and saving opportunities.
With strong backing from President Bush, a comprehensive new Medicare bill passed Congress in November. The bill will enact the largest transformation in Medicare since its creation in 1965, and includes a new prescription drug benefit for 40 million older and disabled Americans. Seniors will now be afforded the same choices that members of Congress and other federal employees enjoy, allowing them to choose the health care plan that best fits their needs instead of having that choice made by the government.
As we look to the future, the president has recently announced new initiatives to further strengthen economic growth, reform education and job training, address the rising cost of health care, and make America a more compassionate nation. These principles are shared by the Jewish community, and that’s why President Bush deserves our support.