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McCollum: President Trump’s FY18 Budget Is Cruel and Reckless

May 23, 2017

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.), Ranking Member of the House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement on President Donald Trump's $3.6 trillion fiscal year 2018 budget proposal:

"President Trump's 2018 budget is a cruel and reckless plan that benefits billionaires, punishes the vulnerable, and abandons working families and small businesses. I strongly oppose this budget and will do everything I can to prevent its callous policies from becoming law.

"This Trump budget pays for lavish tax breaks for billionaires by slashing federal support for public education, job training programs, scientific and medical research, transportation improvements, and environmental safeguards. These draconian cuts — inspired by ideology rather than reality — will inflict economic distress, human suffering, and higher levels of pollution on our families and communities.

"Just as bad, this Republican budget rips apart the social safety net. Its cruel cuts will fall on vulnerable children, families, and seniors who rely on CHIP and Medicaid for health care, SNAP and Meals on Wheels for food, and heating assistance to keep warm in the winter. In a nation as prosperous as the United States, purposefully inflicting harm on vulnerable people is immoral.

"We should be working together to build a stronger America for all our families, not just for big corporations, corporate executives, and the privileged few. To do that, I support strengthening our communities by making smart, sustainable investments in infrastructure, quality public schools, a healthy environment, and safe streets.

"Last month, Democrats and Republicans passed a bipartisan omnibus appropriations bill to fund the federal government in 2017. The funding levels in that bill will be the baseline for me and my Democratic colleagues. I hope responsible Republicans will join us in rejecting this foolish Trump budget and instead advance a smart, sustainable, and forward-leaning budget that reflects our shared values as Minnesotans and Americans."