Hoyer Floor Remarks on President Trump's Budget
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) delivered remarks on the House Floor today on how President Trump's budget breaks his promises to the American people and makes it harder for working families to get ahead. Below is a video and transcript of his remarks:
"Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
"Yesterday, President Trump laid out his budget request for next year. It represents the most draconian disinvestment in our country by any President in modern history, and it is littered with broken promises and fundamental errors in simple math.
"It is a budget that makes very clear that this President is not fighting for working Americans and their families – and in fact, he is breaking his promises to make their lives better.
"It is shockingly devoid of the basic policy details necessary to back up its deficit-cutting bravado. And it includes an accounting discrepancy so large – over $2 trillion dollars – that it can only be characterized as willfully hiding the ball from the American public, an exercise in extreme incompetence, or both.
"The purpose of a budget is to lay out the most complete description of a President's governing vision for the country. By that measure – and many others – this budget is an embarrassment.
"It's no wonder that it has already been panned by Members on both sides of the aisle in this House. My Republican friend Representative Mike Simpson was absolutely right when he said of proposals like this one that the House 'can't pass these budgets,' nor will it.
"It's dead on arrival in Congress because both Democrats and Republicans both understand that we can't provide economic security to the American people and keep them safe from threats if we gut our investments in doing both.
"That's what the President's budget would do. And as the Washington Post eloquently pointed out, the Trump budget 'is fundamentally at odds [with] what he promised voters.' President Trump promised middle class American workers he would fight for them and their families.
"If implemented, his budget would make it harder for them to send their kids to college, access job training to get ahead or even just stay in the middle class, and devastate seniors' long-term care. And the dramatic cuts he makes to nutrition assistance, elimination of heating assistance during the winter months, and Meals on Wheels will hit low-income Americans and seniors hard, particularly in rural communities. And those, Mr. Speaker, are just a selection.
"He's breaking his campaign promise not to cut Medicaid and Social Security, taking $1.4 trillion dollars out of Medicaid over the next ten years – without offering a policy to achieve those cuts – and slashing funds for the Social Security Disability Insurance program that serves 10 million Americans. Frankly, the President made fun of those with disabilities during the course of the campaign, and now he cuts billions of dollars from the ability of the disabled to maintain some degree of dignity and health.
"President Trump also pledged that the American taxpayer would not pay, would not pay, would not pay for the border wall he wants to build. Of course, his budget asks the U.S. taxpayer to pay for that wall.
"And when it comes to keeping Americans safe from overseas threats, President Trump's budget fails miserably as well, cutting the budgets for diplomacy and foreign aid that complement the work of our military in combatting ISIS and other terror groups.
"Additionally, it punishes middle-class federal employees in every Congressional District in our country for choosing to serve their country by cutting their pay and retirement benefits.
"One after another, this budget breaks the President's promises. And at every turn it undermines our long-term security and prosperity by ignoring the critical lessons from past Republican administration[s] when it comes to basic economics.
"Like past Republican budgets, the Trump budget relies on discredited theories of how economic growth would result from tax policies. Unlike past attempts, however, the Trump budget double counts its fantasy supply side boost in an accounting error so large it could pay for the Pentagon three years over.
"Mr. Speaker, we know this budget will go nowhere in this Congress. I believe there will not be a Republican in the House of Representatives, Mr. Speaker, that will offer this budget on the Floor of this House. But it does tell us, however, a lot about this President and his priorities.
"Former Vice President Joe Biden has been known to say 'don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget.' President Trump has now shown us his budget. And none of us should be surprised.
"So now it is up to Democrats and Republicans in this House and in the Senate to work together to agree on a budget resolution and move appropriations bills through regular order. Let us hope we can do that. The American public would expect us to do that, and our country needs us to do that.
"We must not disinvest in those things that have made America great and will enable us to lay the groundwork for another century of American leadership. And I yield back the balance of my time."