Rep. Susan Davis Opposes the House Majority’s Misguided Budget Proposal
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“A budget is supposed to represent our nation’s priorities, and sadly this budget doesn’t even come close,” said Rep. Davis. “If fully realized, this budget would have a devastating impact on San Diego and the nation. Cuts to education, innovation, infrastructure, and aid to low-income families would derail the economic growth our region is currently experiencing.”
A top economist with the Economic Policy Institute estimates that the budget passed by the House would reduce GDP by 3.5 percent and cost 4.2 million jobs for FY 2016 and 2017.
Davis did vote for the Democratic budget alternative, a pro-growth budget that means bigger paychecks and a real shot at the American Dream. It includes tax cuts for middle class families, extending the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). It funds the president’s six-year, $478 billion surface transportation proposal and makes key investments in education, medical research, and our veterans.
The House Majority’s budget would:
- Freeze the maximum Pell Grant and eliminate $89 billion for Pell Grant increases that Congress already enacted and paid for, making college less affordable for students and their families.
- End the Higher Education Tax Credit.
- Cut $187 billion from transportation funding over the coming decade. With San Diego facing $3.9 billion in infrastructure repairs and only $2.2 billion available, the budget passed by the House raises serious questions as to whether the San Diego region can count on the federal government for infrastructure repairs support.
- Repeal the Affordable Care Act, threatening the health coverage of 16 million Americans.
- Turn Medicare into a voucher program.
- Cut $913 billion from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
- Cut investments in medical research, meaning 1,300 fewer grants from (NIH). San Diego is a national leader in receiving NIH funding.
- Slash $125 billion from food assistance programs, like SNAP.
- Fund veterans’ programs $1.9 billion less than the President’s request for 2016 and $19 billion less over the next 10 years.
The Majority’s budget gets two-thirds of cuts from programs for low- or middle-income people, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget policy and Priorities.
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