Press Releases

Congresswoman Suzan DelBene released the following statement regarding today’s vote on the House Republican budget:

“Families and businesses in Washington state want bipartisan, responsible solutions to our nation’s fiscal issues that will reduce the deficit and grow our economy.

“My priorities in Congress are to strengthen the middle class, create jobs and build the foundation for long term economic growth.

“Unfortunately, the budget passed by the House today is an uncompromising proposal that will cost us jobs, hurt families, children, our most vulnerable, seniors and threatens to derail our fragile economic recovery.

“This budget cuts deeply into education, infrastructure, research and public safety. These are damaging cuts that will cost us jobs and weaken our country’s ability to innovate and compete in a global economy.

“The House budget again includes a failed plan to turn Medicare into a voucher program that will essentially end the program as we know it today - dismantling what has been a pillar of the health and economic security for hundreds of millions of our seniors. Under this plan, nearly 57,000 Washington seniors would see their prescription drug costs go up next year while more than 760,000 seniors would start being charged for preventative care like physicals and cancer screenings.

“Cutting programs that the middle class, veterans and low-income families depend on is the wrong approach. Reducing access to a college education by doubling student loan interest rates and cutting funds for Pell Grants is no way to expand economic opportunity. We should not be shredding our social safety net by leaving millions without health care coverage, rolling back job training programs and food programs for needy families and children.

“What’s more, this budget includes an irresponsible plan to change the tax code in a way that will either lead to deficit-ballooning tax cuts for high-income households or increased taxes on poor and middle-class families.

“I cannot support such an extreme approach that would hurt so many working families, businesses and weakens our economy. Instead, I voted to support Senator Patty Murray’s alternative budget that serves as a good starting point, focusing on our core priorities: creating jobs, growing the economy, strengthening the middle class and responsibly reducing the deficit.

“It’s time for both sides of the aisle to set aside their ideological agendas, be open to compromise and come together in a bipartisan effort to find a balanced approach to the budget.”

# # #