Van Hollen Statement on President’s Proposed Budget

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees, released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget proposal:

“President Trump’s proposed budget is an assault on hard-working middle-class families, senior citizens, and those struggling to get by. It guts healthcare programs, slashes educational programs and student loans, and shreds the social safety net – all to pay for his tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires, and corporations. It is a non-starter.

“The President has launched an all-out attack on health care – just days after promising to maintain the benefits and protections hundreds of millions of children, seniors, and people with disabilities or pre-existing conditions count on. The cuts to Medicaid alone amount to almost $1 trillion. The American people are catching on – he says one thing in his tweets and State of the Union address, and then does the opposite in the fine print of his budget.

“These drastic cuts to programs like nutrition assistance to those in need – which averages $256 a month per family – are being made to pay for the Trump tax scam, which continues to give millionaires an average windfall of $70,000 per year.

“We can’t allow this to be the first generation of Americans whose kids have a lower standard of living than their parents. A budget isn’t just numbers, it’s a vision for our nation’s future. If we want to fix and build our roads, rails, and trails; clean up our waters and improve air quality; give our kids a world-class education and our seniors a dignified retirement; and provide quality, affordable health care to every American, then Congress must reject the President’s budget.

“Trump’s budget provides $45 billion to subsidize private schools, while cutting public education programs and college student loans. Devastating education cuts would provide fewer resources to those who need them most – like kids who need afterschool programs, school counseling, and community schools; and students at institutions like the University of Maryland, where 41 percent of undergrads depend on financial aid.

“Chopping another 26 percent from an already lean Environmental Protection Agency would imperil efforts to clean up environmental hazards, let polluters run amok, and slash funding to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

“Deficits and debt have only gotten worse under the Trump Administration because of tax cuts for the rich and unrealistic growth assumptions that have already been proved false. This budget is more of the same, and the ever-more magical math in the Trump budget is a farce that our children and grandchildren will have to pay for.

“The Senate must come together, in a bipartisan way, to craft a real budget that works for America’s families. As a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committees, I will continue to work across the aisle to do better for Marylanders and all Americans.”