Rep. Pallone Denounces Trump Budget

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., ranking Democratic member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement after President Trump released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2018:

"Budget proposals are an expression of values and priorities, and President Trump's budget shows that he is heartless and misguided. The President's budget is a devastating proposal that will take resources and services away from millions of Americans who desperately need them to pay for tax cuts for millionaires.

"The President is clearly not satisfied with the $840 billion in Medicaid cuts that were included in Trumpcare, doubling down with deep additional cuts to Medicaid. This devastating proposal will end Medicaid as we know it, and will force states to ration care for seniors in nursing homes, people with disabilities, children and pregnant women. The budget also dismantles funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, immediately capping kids who can enroll in the program, and putting into serious jeopardy health care for millions of children and pregnant women.

"The President's budget punishes women by eliminating all funding for Planned Parenthood, which would lead to the closing of women's health centers across the country.

"The discovery of new treatments and cures is also under threat as the President cuts $6 billion from the National Institutes of Health, including $1 billion from cancer research. The budget proposal also weakens our defenses against emerging infectious diseases and other public health threats by cutting $1.3 billion from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The President's proposed cuts to EPA are extreme and threaten the health and environment of all Americans. The President's budget cuts the agency's overall budget by over 31 percent, slashing grants for states and tribes while simultaneously cutting funding for enforcement and hundreds of millions of dollars for the Superfund program. These drastic reductions shift costs to the states and gut core public health and environmental programs. The President's budget also ends American leadership on climate change by defunding climate programs, which delays action on this urgent issue.

"The budget turns its back on energy programs for low-income communities and rural America. It eliminates the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides critical assistance to low-income families to heat and cool their homes. It also decimates energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, cutting them by 70 percent and seriously undermining clean energy investments that spur job growth. The budget is also short-sighted in canceling the popular Energy Star Program, which reduces energy consumption and saves consumers' money.

"This is a morally reprehensible proposal that would only take our country backwards. I will continue to fight against these reckless spending proposals, and will instead support priorities that will grow and support the middle class."