House Republicans Pass Trump’s Cruel, Wasteful Budget
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republicans passed President Donald Trump’s budget bill late Wednesday night with a razor-thin vote of 215-214. It eviscerates social spending and expands the military budget to unprecedented proportions. Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“By only a single vote, MAGA Republicans passed Trump’s outrageous budget that cruelly attacks Medicaid and will cause 8.6 million people to lose their health care coverage. In addition, three million people each month will lose their SNAP food benefits. These heartbreaking harms to regular Americans are solely intended to extend and add tax giveaways for the wealthy.
“The bill also includes a massive rollback of renewable energy incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that help deliver cheaper and cleaner energy for American families, and further subsidizes Big Oil and Gas while increasing Pentagon spending by an unneeded and entirely wasteful $150 billion, which is effectively a handout to private military contractors.
“The legislation also introduces Big Oil pay-to-play provisions that allow natural gas pipeline companies and natural gas exporters to pay $10 million and $1 million, respectively, to evade compliance with public health and safety laws.
“Importantly, the bill includes an array of non-germane provisions that do not belong, including one that would preempt regulation of AI across the nation, halting the great work that state lawmakers are doing to protect us.
“If the Senate approves this budget, it will eviscerate the middle class and our environment, while skyrocketing wealth inequality and leaving this country in a state of unprecedented decay. Lawmakers must fight this in every way possible.”