Washington, DC - Today, Congressman Edolphus “Ed” Towns voiced his displeasure at the Bush administration’s decision to eliminate the main federal document, called Budget Information for States, that reports how much each state gets under specific federal programs.  

"Unfortunately, this is the latest in a long line of acts by this administration to hide information it does not want the public to see,” Towns said.  “Combined, state governments are expecting to be more than $80 billion dollars in the red.  The President responded not by offering assistance but by actually cutting state funding. Trying to hide this fact adds insult to injury.”  New York is projecting an $11.5 billion shortfall for the next two years.  

Towns noted that earlier this year the administration stopped producing a monthly report of factory closings across the country.  The report, which had been produced since 1996, detailed where workplaces with more than 50 employees closed.