Leading House Democrat charges GOP budget cuts ‘would cause irreparable damage’
Samantha-Jo Roth
Video Embed
The top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee is sounding the alarm about a Republican proposal to cut agency spending to fiscal 2022 levels, warning it would “put people at risk,” including veterans, seniors, and people with low incomes.
These comments by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) come as federal agencies have responded to her January request asking to detail what $130 billion in cuts would mean for the federal government
“The draconian cuts would take away the opportunity for 80,000 people to attend college and impact all 6.6 million students who rely on Pell Grants. If implemented, 200,000 children will lose access to Head Start, and 100,000 children will lose access to child care, undermining early education and parents’ ability to go to work,” DeLauro said in a statement on Monday morning.
STEVE SCALISE LOOKS TO RALLY SUPPORT BEHIND SWEEPING ENERGY COST REDUCTION BILL
The estimates from the Biden administration paint a dire picture for almost every federal agency if the cuts were to move forward. The Social Security Administration would be forced to “close field offices and shorten hours we are open to the public, cutting off vital access to face-to-face service delivery,” the agency said in response to DeLauro. The Department of Housing and Urban Development said the potential funding cut scenario would make it “impossible to stave off mass evictions.”
According to the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration would need to “implement an immediate hiring freeze for its entire operations and facilities workforce” and would need to shut down air traffic control towers at one-third of airports. The Department of Justice said the cuts would result in a loss of “roughly 11,000 positions, or 29.2% of the FBI’s workforce.” According to the Department of Homeland Security, the cuts would result in a reduction in Customs and Border Protection “frontline law enforcement staffing levels of up to 2,400 agents and officers.” It would also result in reductions in Transportation Security Administration personnel that the agency said would result in wait times “in excess of 2 hours at large airports across the country.”
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) agreed to make these large cuts as part of his bid for the gavel. Republicans have promised Social Security and Medicare won’t be the target of budget cuts as well as the Department of Defense. DeLauro’s comments attempt to portray how cuts to the rest of the budget through nondefense discretionary spending and entitlement programs will affect the federal government and taxpayers.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Continued Republican calls for cuts of this magnitude — both secret proposals from Republican leadership and public demands from extremists in the party — would be absolutely detrimental to all Americans,” DeLauro added. “The math is not there.”
The discussion isn’t likely to end here as Cabinet secretaries prepare to testify this week before both chambers over President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2024 budget request.