The Republican budget cuts at least $150 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. Speaker, 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. 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.
Keywords matched
immigration