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A Budget That Works For All Americans

Funding Levels that Keep Essential Programs and Work for the Public

Every fiscal year, Congress must pass a budget as well as a series of funding bills (also called appropriations) bills to keep in place the crucial services and safeguards that protect American families and communities. We consistently face the issue of conservatives proposing extreme budget cuts that will further rig the system billionaires and big corporations.

Since passage of the 2011 Budget Control Act and subsequent cuts required by “sequestration,” decreases in government spending levels have been equally split between spending for military defense and for “non-defense” spending (all other social programs.) These required spending caps have forced austerity measures on already cash-strapped government agencies meaning vital social programs have been cut over the years. In addition, the  current funding levels are not sufficient to ensure adequate consumer protections are in place. Worse, recent proposed budget proposals would force further cuts for the purpose of providing tax cuts to the wealthy and profitable corporations. 

The deep and painful funding cuts that are proposed to the agencies that protect our health and safety, our workplaces and wallets, as well as our environment and our economy, are intended to pay for huge tax giveaways for their biggest donors. Members of Congress should not support a budget that would shut down critical public services and protections. Public Citizen and our partners in the Hands Off campaign firmly oppose these changes.

No Ideological Poison Pill Riders

Beyond cutting essential monies needed to keep our government functioning and providing the basic services we depend on, conservatives are also threatening to attach hundreds of harmful policy riders to the budget that would repeal essential public protections — our system of safeguards designed to prevent tragedies that can spell disaster for individuals, families, businesses and communities.

Specifically, some of the proposed ideological riders would roll back Wall Street reforms, gut clean air and clean water protections, undo needed campaign finance regulations, attack women’s health care and fundamental civil rights, and more

Public Citizen has joined with hundreds of organizations to form the Clean Budget Coalition. Together, we’re calling on Congress and the White House to pass a clean budget with no ideological riders that funds and protects thriving families and communities.

More resources on the Clean Budget Coalition