WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) made this statement after the passage of the 2013 Republican Budget, H.Con.Res. 112, in the House of Representatives:

"For two years in a row, we've seen Republican priorities and the Republican vision for the nation.  If the Republican budget were to go into effect, we would lose more than 4 million jobs over the next two years, putting our nation's economic recovery in jeopardy, and it would boost incentives for corporations to ship American jobs overseas.  The Republican budget would make significant cuts to transportation investments in roads, bridges, rail lines, transit systems, and airports, which could delay or stop projects already underway.  And it would end the Medicare guarantee, undermining the retirement security of millions of America’s seniors. 

"If this budget was in place, families still struggling to put food on the table would be stuck in a vicious cycle of hunger; the Republican budget would significantly cut SNAP funding by $134 billion over 10 years and completely eliminate categorical eligibility.  And even our students wouldn't be spared from drastic cuts.  It slashes college aid for more than 9 million students—cutting Pell Grant awards, and eliminating grants for 400,000 students in 2013 alone, while allowing the interest rate on loans for nearly 7.5 million students to double in July. The Republican budget cuts education (largely K-12) by $115 billion over ten years, restricting extra reading and math help for low-income children and kicking 200,000 children out of Head Start in just one year. 

"While seniors, the middle class and low-income workers struggle, they will bear the cost of tax breaks to the wealthy found in the Republican budget.  According to the Tax Policy Center, the Republican budget will reduce revenues by $4.6 trillion over 10 years.  Millionaires would receive an estimated $129,000 in tax cuts from extending all of the Bush-era tax cuts plus another $265,000 on top of that from slashing the top tax rate to 25 percent, for a total average tax cut of $394,000 for individuals earning over $1 million.

"Unlike the Republican plan, the Democratic budget would preserve Medicare for everyone, make permanent 2001/2003 middle-class tax cuts, and protect Medicaid and the millions of seniors in nursing homes.  It also includes investments in infrastructure, tax credits for job creation, and efforts to promote the hiring of teachers, first responders, and veterans, which will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, all while stabilizing the deficit at less than 3 percent of GDP by 2015.

"The Republican budget is the wrong plan for American workers, for middle class families, for unemployed Americans, for students, and for our seniors." 

Congresswoman Fudge recently spoke on the House floor about the Republican budget.  View speech here:

Laura Allen

Press Secretary

Laura.Allen@mail.house.gov

(202) 590-6496