Rep. Huffman Releases New Report on Impact of Republican Budget Cuts to California

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- Rep. Jared Huffman, D-California, issued the following news release:

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Nearly 50% of North Coast Residents Benefit from Programs on the GOP Chopping Block

Today, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) released a new Joint Economic Committee report that finds 40 percent of Americans--including 343,900 residents of Huffman's congressional district--will be hit by the Republican Congress' massive proposed budget cuts to programs like Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

After driving up the debt by $2 trillion with their tax law, the budget released this year by the Republican majority in Congress aims to slash these vital programs by the same amount, forcing families and seniors in 189,800 households on the North Coast to foot the bill.

"Republicans are telling hard-working Americans, including hundreds of thousands on California's North Coast, to tighten their belts to pay for the tax giveaways to the rich," said Rep. Huffman. "Only a small percentage of Americans benefit from these tax giveaways, while the rest of us will be made to foot the bill. This new report makes it clear that we'll need to change course to make American families and seniors a top priority. No one should have to choose between getting the health care they need to survive and paying for basic necessities."

The report, "Families & Seniors Foot the Bill for GOP Tax Cuts," shows that the Trump and Bush-era tax cuts are projected to give a $2 trillion break for the wealthiest 1 percent by 2025. Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress have proposed the same amount in cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the ACA between 2019-2028.

The new report finds that nearly half of Californians--17 million--count on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security or the ACA for their health care and financial security, including 343,900 people (48.1%) of California's second Congressional district. These are the very programs designated for cuts in the Republican budget resolution to cover the bill for $2 trillion in tax giveaways for the rich.

The average beneficiary of these programs stands to lose an average of $1,500 per year in health care services, tax credits, or other vital supports. This would translate to 3.6 weeks of unpaid work for a retail sales person earning $23,000--the most common job in America. The average household would lose over $3,000 in services and tax credits per year.