Washington, D.C. – In response to President Barack Obama’s Fiscal Year 2017 budget request to Congress, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04), House Budget Committee Member and Ranking Member on the Financial Services Committee’s Monetary Policy and Trade Subcommittee, released the following statement:

 

“I commend President Obama for putting forth a budget that prioritizes working and middle class families. I especially applaud his commitment to improving the lives of impoverished Americans. By modernizing the unemployment insurance safety net and proposing to strengthen the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, this budget reflects our values as a nation to help those in need. Our country demands a bold plan for the future and I truly believe the president’s proposed budget speaks to that call.   

 

“With an emphasis on combating the threat posed by ISIL, addressing international health concerns, and focusing on the growing problem of climate change, President Obama’s budget proposal is historic both in terms of the bold initiatives it undertakes and its global scope. But the president’s budget is also notable for an unfortunate reason. Last week, before the budget was even printed, my Republicans Budget Committee colleagues announced they would reject it and deprive President Obama of a hearing on his budget request. This is the first time in the Budget Committee’s history that such a hearing was denied to a sitting president.

 

“When I initially envisioned the 114th Congress making history, I hoped it would be attributed to our efforts to end gender and racial inequality and to help struggling Americans escape poverty. But thanks to our Republican counterparts, I fear the 114th Congress will now be remembered for its unprecedented disrespect toward our nation’s Commander in Chief and its embarrassing inability to govern. Needless to say, I share my constituents’ frustration over such petty partisanship.”

 

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