Blue Dog Coalition Statement on the House GOP Budget Bill

This morning, the Blue Dog Coalition joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in voting against H.R. 1, the GOP’s flawed budget reconciliation bill.

The Republican majority declined to work in a bipartisan manner to bring us closer to a balanced budget and protect the services millions of Americans rely on. Rather, they used deficit spending and huge cuts to health care to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, accelerating us down a dangerous fiscal path at the expense of working Americans.

At a time when our interest payments on the national debt are already our second-largest federal expenditure, behind only Social Security, this legislation will add nearly $4 trillion to our deficit, stoking inflation and diminishing working families’ ability to exercise economic power. All while stripping health coverage and food assistance programs from the many, in order to pay for tax cuts for the privileged few. 

Reckless fiscal policies like these undermine our financial stability and drive up the cost of living for families across the nation. While America’s credit rating plummets, and the deficit is made worse by this bill, the Blue Dog Coalition remains committed to finding bipartisan, commonsense solutions that level the playing field for American families and help secure a more stable economic future.

We implore the Senate to do the same

###

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.