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Congressman Nadler Statement on President Trump’s FY18 Budget Proposal

Quite simply, this budget is a cruel attempt to return our country to the era of robber barons and workhouses, an era when the rich got richer and the poor got poorer, an era we have been working for decades to leave behind.

Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), released the following statement in response to President Trump’s proposed FY18 federal budget:

“President Trump’s budget is nothing short of an outrage. Slashing $54 billion from non-defense spending and shifting it all to our military is cruel, absurd, and short-sighted. Over a ten year period, we are looking at $3 TRILLION in cuts to the programs that impact the lives of every American.

“The President is directly targeting working families by cutting Medicaid spending in half over ten years, slashing $40 billion from the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit, and cutting $191 billion from SNAP, or food stamps. Trump would leave 250,000 families without access to safe and affordable housing by eliminating housing vouchers. Trump’s budget would cut $72 billion from disability programs, including Social Security for individuals with disabilities. The President’s budget devastates families who rely on student loans, particularly for graduate school, by cutting $143 billion out of the federal student loan program. The budget continues to attack every family’s security by gutting funding for family planning and, once again, defunding Planned Parenthood.

“The budget also strips funding from the programs that keep our country on the forefront of science, medicine, and culture. It would slice nearly $5 billion from the NIH and $1.2 billion from the CDC, stalling biomedical research and disease prevention for decades. It would completely eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Center for Public Broadcasting.  Trump’s budget guts government science programs, including the National Science Foundation, the EPA, and the Department of Energy. The only science program that gets to keep its funding? The nuclear program. The budget eliminates TIGER grants and funding for New Starts Transit Projects, key sources of funding for the Gateway Project, turning aside President Trump’s promises about investing in infrastructure. And the President’s budget slashes funding for the State Department by nearly 29%, eliminating efforts to combat climate change and promote renewable energy, provide assistance to refugees, and fund global anti-poverty programs.

“Of course, the President claims this budget will balance in 10 years and eliminate our deficit. If that is his goal, why would his budget increase the already bloated Defense budget by $54 billion in FY18 and insist on enormous tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while slashing programs for everyone else? Quite simply, this budget is a cruel attempt to return our country to the era of robber barons and workhouses, an era when the rich got richer and the poor got poorer, an era we have been working for decades to leave behind. This budget exposes the President’s “populist” image as a lie.

“Hopefully, Congress will once again reject these appalling cuts.  I join all Americans in standing up for an America that supports everyone and an American dream that remains in reach for us all.”

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