The nominee, Rep. Mick Mulvaney, has faced questions about his failure to pay taxes and highly partisan record in the House
Sen. Murray: His budget proposals would cut investments in jobs, health care, the safety net, and more
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, after voting no on President Trump’s nominee to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement.
“I join my colleagues in urging opposition to the nomination of Congressman Mick Mulvaney to lead our federal budget office as director of OMB. We all know that a budget is more than just numbers on a page. A budget represents our values and our priorities. The kind of nation we are now—and the kind of nation we want to be. And Congressman Mulvaney isn’t shy about where he stands on this… He has made it very clear that he would like to use our budget to radically reshape our country in a way that I believe would be devastating to families, to seniors, to veterans, to the middle class—and so many others. Congressman Mulvaney has said he wants to make drastic, radical cuts to federal investments—trillions of dollars, across the board… So for those reasons—and many more—I will be opposing this nomination and urge my colleagues to do the same.”
Last week, Sen. Murray expressed her serious concerns about the nominee’s profoundly harmful approach to the social safety net and critical protections for people in Washington state and across the country.
Senator Murray’s remarks for the record are below:
“I join my colleagues in urging opposition to the nomination of Congressman Mick Mulvaney to lead our federal budget office as director of OMB. We all know that a budget is more than just numbers on a page. A budget represents our values and our priorities. The kind of nation we are now—and the kind of nation we want to be. And Congressman Mulvaney isn’t shy about where he stands on this.
“I sat down with him on Tuesday, and I appreciated his candor. He has made it very clear that he would like to use our budget to radically reshape our country in a way that I believe would be devastating to families, to seniors, to veterans, to the middle class—and so many others.
“Congressman Mulvaney has said he wants to make drastic, radical cuts to federal investments—trillions of dollars, across the board. His budget proposals would slash federal funding for education—leaving students across the country with fewer opportunities to learn and succeed. They would cut investments in jobs and training—leaving more workers scrambling to keep up in a changing economy. They would eliminate support for children and families that need a hand up to get back on their feet. They would eliminate basic medical research that create jobs and lead to lifesaving cures. They would continue the work President Trump has done to destroy health care in America and create even more chaos and confusion. They would lead to dramatic cuts to Medicare and Medicaid—betraying the commitments we have made to our seniors.
“And so much more. And he wants to do all of this while giving even more tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations. In other words—Congressman Mulvaney’s nomination is another perfect example of how President Trump is breaking the promises he’s made on the campaign trail to stand with workers, seniors, and the middle class.
“I want to make two more points. First, Congressman Mulvaney is someone who was at the fringes of the Republican Party just a few years ago. He is one of the most extreme members of the Tea Party wing of the Party, who supported the government shutdown when others were working to end it. Who failed to show the proper concern about a potentially catastrophic breach of the debt limit—and remains cavalier even now, telling me he would advise the President against accepting a clean debt limit. Who wasn’t even willing to support the budget deal I reached with Speaker Ryan.
“He is someone who responsible members of his own Republican party scorned just a few years ago—and whose budget ideas they rejected as damaging, unworkable, and political suicide. But now—he is the person who Republicans are holding up as a budget leader. And as we see this nomination—and as we see Republicans use the budget process to slam through a partisan plan to destroy our health care system—it is clearer than ever how far the Republican Party has moved even from the days of our bipartisan budget deal.
“Second, and finally—I am extremely troubled by Congressman Mulvaney’s failure to pay taxes and comply with the law. I know I’m not the only one who has been here long enough to see cabinet nominees withdraw over less egregious breaches than this. Congressman Mulvaney’s explanations, justifications, and defenses have simply not been credible—and it’s hard to believe that every single one of my Republican colleagues feels comfortable with putting someone with such a serious lapse of judgment in charge of the budget in the Administration.
“So for those reasons—and many more—I will be opposing this nomination and urge my colleagues to do the same.”
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