02.14.2018

WASHINGTON, DC -- In response to the release of the Trump administration’s budget for FY 2019, the Center for Popular Democracy released the following statement from Co-Executive Director and Network President Jennifer Epps-Addison:

“Trump’s budget is a full-frontal attack on the most vulnerable communities in America. Trump and his Republican collaborators in Congress are gearing up to make unprecedented cuts to Medicaid, Medicare, Section 8 housing, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and the SNAP program. At a time when millions are still struggling to recover from the Great Recession and cities across the country are dealing with growing homelessness and an affordable housing crisis, leaders in Washington should be working to expand these critical programs - not shrink them. These are programs and services that millions of Americans rely on every day to make ends meet and help their families get ahead. 

They are Americans like Sumer Cave-Dill of West Virginia, a college student who relies on Medicaid to let her pay the bills while she earns a degree. Without that support, she wouldn’t be able to build a better future for herself. Trump’s budget would put her future in danger and make it difficult for her to complete her degree.

The safety net cuts would be bad enough, but Trump’s budget also doubles down on the GOP’s anti-immigrant agenda, including billions for an unnecessary, racist border wall and thousands of new ICE agents. It slashes funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, exposing more families to toxic chemicals in their air and water. And it includes a pittance for two of the most pressing crises of our time - the opioid epidemic and the continuing recovery of Puerto Rico - funding that is many billions short of what a real solution requires. 

The truth is that Trump’s budget is little more than a white supremacist dog whistle to divide and distract the communities that will be harmed most. Trump’s budget would leave everyday Americans worse off while making the one percent even richer. Our communities deserve a budget that will help us prosper. We must resist this racist, immoral proposal and demand that politicians in Washington pass a budget that invests in families and in communities to promote shared growth and a brighter future for all who live inside America’s borders.”

Media Contact:

Asya PIkovsky, apikovsky@populardemocracy.org, 207-522-2442