Blue Dog Coalition Statement on the GOP Budget Bill
“The Republican Majority had every chance to reach across party lines and work in a bipartisan manner to deliver durable policy that levels the playing field for working Americans and puts us on the path toward a balanced budget. Instead, they opted for a partisan exercise of gutting healthcare and exploding the deficit to deliver huge tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and biggest businesses. The American people deserve better than this.
A key tenet of fiscal responsibility is protecting the durable engines of our national health and self determination. Instead of working together to deliver on this goal, today the GOP elected to cut nearly $930 billion from Medicaid and nearly $260 billion from the ACA Marketplaces. This means nearly 16 million American citizens will lose their health care and hundreds of hospitals are now at risk of closing, especially in rural areas. This is shameful. The American people deserve more health care, not less.
Despite these massive cuts to vital programs, this legislation still adds nearly $4 trillion to the national debt. As our debt rises, so will interest rates, making it harder for American families to buy homes or start businesses. This level of spending is blatantly disrespectful to the hard-working Americans who manage to keep their finances in check every day.
This bill is a giant tax giveaway to the rich, totaling $4.45 trillion. This legislation will be one of the largest wealth transfers in American history, further distorting the playing field and making it harder for working families to get ahead.
The Blue Dogs have repeatedly sounded the alarm about the dangers these cuts pose and the harm they will inflict on our communities. Americans deserve to know that if Republicans had been willing to work across the aisle, there would have been a path to protecting these critical services that seniors, veterans, and working families rely on.
The Blue Dogs stand united in opposition to this terrible bill.”
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ABOUT THE COALITION: The Blue Dog Coalition is an official caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives composed of fiscally-responsible Democrats, who are leading the way to find common-sense solutions. They are pragmatic Democrats, appealing to mainstream values of the American public. The Blue Dogs are dedicated to pursuing fiscally-responsible policies, ensuring a strong national defense for our country, and transcending party lines to get things done for the American people.