Rep. Wilson Issues Statement on White House Budget Proposal

WASHINGTON, May 23 -- Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., issued the following statement in response to the White House budget proposal:

"The Trump budget is an all-out assault on the poor. Once again, the administration has prioritized the needs of the rich over the poor.

"The budget double-downs on Medicaid with a $610 billion cut on top of the cuts made in the Republicans' health care bill. It literally takes food out of the mouths of babes by cutting $190 billion from SNAP over a ten-year period.

"To ensure that the poor stay poor, the president's budget cuts student loan, financial aid and repayment programs, which will make it more costly, if not impossible, for millions of kids to go to college. It also would make it more difficult for them to even get into college because of a $9 billion cut to our nation's pre-K-12 public schools, which would once again hurt the school districts that can least afford it.

"Trump's budget proposal puts our lives at risk by cutting almost one-fifth of the National Institutes of Health's budget--jeopardizing the research and development of life-saving cures and treatments.

"The budget cuts 30 percent from the Environmental Protection Agency. Who will that hurt most? Poor people, like the families in Flint.

"Businesses and the nation's wealthiest are the only ones who would benefit from this Robin Hood in Reverse proposal, which takes from the poor to give to the rich.

"It also is yet another example of how little the administration understands about the U.S. government and its own party. Top economists have said that many of the projections are not based on reality. It is so draconian that even Republicans are stunned and some have pronounced it dead on arrival.

"Why Mr. Trump's advisers would waste time concocting this budget is simply mind-bending. This is not a reality show on which the administration can do whatever it wants without consequences. This is real life and this budget would have catastrophic consequences."