Republican Budget Proposal: Not An Expression Of Our Values

Republican Budget Proposal: Not an Expression of Our Values

WASHINGTON, DC– U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) released the following statement today on the Republican Budget proposal for FY 12:

“A budget proposal is not just about dollars and cents, but a reflection of our values as a country. The Republican budget released this week proves that their priorities are not the priorities of our country. This budget is the wrong choice for the American people because it doesn’t create jobs and it doesn’t grow the economy.

“The Republican budget ends Medicare as we know it while giving away tens of billions of dollars in tax subsidies to Big Oil companies, it slashes support to seniors in nursing homes while giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, and it cuts education for kids and raises college tuition for nearly 10 million students, while giving additional tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans.

“Yesterday the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office determined that this budget actually adds $8 trillion to the national debt over the next decade because its cuts in spending are outpaced by the gigantic tax cuts for the richest Americans.

“The fact of the matter is that we have to cut spending. The issue is not whether we reduce the deficit, but how we do it. We cannot cut what helps us create jobs, innovate for the future, and remain competitive in the global marketplace.

“The Republican budget is certainly not an expression of our values, and it doesn’t reflect the right priorities to put our country on a path to economic recovery.”