Engel Statement on Trump Administration’s Proposed Budget
Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement on the Trump Administration’s budget proposal:
“To say the cuts in the Trump Administration’s budget proposal would hurt most Americans really doesn’t describe the amount of pain people would feel if it were somehow enacted. This proposal—save for the very rich—does not discriminate in who it hurts. It is disgraceful and, I believe, a total non-starter in Congress.
“Here are just some of the harmful cuts President Trump would like to make happen: After the President unambiguously promised not to cut Medicaid, he proposes a $610 billion cut; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a program to prevent domestic hunger benefitting children and families, would see a $193 billion cut over 10 years; the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which states and municipalities rely upon for funding local development and infrastructure projects, would be completely eliminated; the HOME program, which creates affordable housing, would be completely eliminated; and the National Institutes of Health would suffer billions of dollars in crippling cuts to research.
“But that’s not all. The President is also proposing a 30 percent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency, which would include the zeroing out several clean energy and climate change programs. He wants to slash the Education Department by $9.2 billion, or 13 percent, and eliminate programs that serve children, including after-school programs and mental-health services. And he has proposed slashing the State Department by 28 percent, another extreme cut which I find particularly alarming as Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“This all amounts to a devastating assault on every American—our housing, health care, safety, education and environment are all put at risk. It represents a vision for America that is both cruel and unrealistic. We need to come up with a budget that works for the American people, not punishes them. I remain hopeful this budget will be rightfully rejected by my colleagues in the House, and a more realistic and sensible approach to our federal budget can be developed.”
REP. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FY 18 BUDGET PROPOSAL
Rep. Adriano Espaillat released the following statement today in response to President Trump’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2018 released earlier today.
“As expected, President Trump’s budget proposal is cold and harsh toward the poor and those struggling to reach the middle class in America,” said Rep. Espaillat. “While significantly cutting the budgets for vital safety net programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that save millions of Americans from the deepest depths of poverty, and increasing the funding for defense spending, immigration raids, border patrol and building a divisive wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump has essentially prioritized his own interests ahead of America’s poor and low-income families. This budget proposal is bad for America as it will burden our states and leave our most vulnerable communities behind.”
