The Republican budget cuts $154 billion from the Supplemental
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next ten years by
essentially converting it to a block grant, cutting off funding for
eligible individuals and requiring cash-strapped states to either fill
in the gap or take away food assistance from millions of working
families, children, and seniors. Mr. Chair, as economists and policy experts have documented time and
again, immigration reform would expand the size of the U.S. workforce,
and in turn would increase the size of the economy and reduce deficits. The Republican budget, however, again rejects comprehensive
immigration reform that would bring clear and just rules for those
seeking citizenship and help secure the nation's borders. In doing so, the Republican budget squanders an opportunity to reduce
deficits by an estimated $900 billion over the next two decades, boost
the economy by 5.4 percent, and extend the solvency of Social Security. Mr. Chair, none of us can forget the President's favorite boast and
central campaign promise that he would build a wall on our southern
border and guarantee that Mexico would be made to pay for it. The Republican budget deprives the President of the opportunity to
make good on his foolish boast by forcing American taxpayers to foot
the bill for President Trump's $1.6 billion border wall that will do
nothing to stop unauthorized entry into the country and will not fix
our broken immigration system. The Republican budget continues to target federal employees by
cutting their compensation and benefits by at least another $163
billion over ten years, which comes on top of the $182 billion in cuts
federal employees have already absorbed in the form of higher
retirement contributions, pay freezes, and furloughs. The Republican budget puts U.S. transportation network on the road to
ruin by slashing transportation spending, by $254 billion over ten
years, or 25 percent below current estimates.
Keywords matched
immigration border wall