Hoyer, Lee Statement on House Republican Budget Proposal

WASHINGTON, DC – Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (MD) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA), chair of the Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty, Income Inequality, and Opportunity, released a statement today as the Budget Committee begins its markup of the House Republican budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2017:  

“Less than one month after Speaker Ryan launched his Republican task force on poverty, House Republicans are marking up a draconian budget proposal that disinvests in programs designed to lift Americans out of poverty while putting the burden of deficit reduction onto the most vulnerable Americans. Among other proposals, the Republican budget would end the Medicare guarantee, cut Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and slash investments in programs that encourage job growth and increase economic opportunity.

“While Speaker Ryan has expressed interest in alleviating poverty, the draconian Republican budget does just the opposite – exacerbating poverty and making it more difficult for Americans to join the middle class. As Republican division over their budget continues, we urge Speaker Ryan to abandon this irresponsible proposal and work with Democrats to adopt a budget resolution that invests in hardworking American families, promotes opportunity, and honors the bipartisan budget agreement passed in October.”