***WATCH: Murray discusses what House Republicans’ proposed funding cuts would mean for families***
Murray joins Schumer, Stabenow, Whitehouse to discuss new DPCC report detailing impacts of proposal to cut funding to FY22 levels
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, joined Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC), and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, to discuss a new DPCC report detailing how House Republicans’ proposal to cut government funding back to FY22 levels for discretionary appropriations would hurt families across the U.S. and make the country less safe.
“We’ve heard a lot of talk from House Republicans about cutting spending, but very few specifics. Well, that’s probably because the specifics are actually pretty bad,” said Senator Murray. “This report makes clear that when House Republicans throw out ideas like ‘going back to 2022 funding levels,’ which Speaker McCarthy and MAGA Republicans in the House want to do, they aren’t actually proposing a ‘freeze.’ They are calling for drastic, draconian cuts that will hurt families in every corner of the country, undermine our economy, jeopardize our national security, and limit our future.”
“Here’s my message to House Republicans: No one wants chaos—none of your constituents want to have to worry you will wreck the economy by threatening to not pay this country’s bills,” continued Senator Murray. “No one wants to worry about a default and not getting their Social Security check. Let’s do the responsible thing—raise the debt ceiling in a bipartisan way, like we always have, and let’s work together to fund the government—no chaos, no drama. Let’s just get to work.”
Earlier today, Senate Democrats released a new DPCC report “House Republican Radical Cuts Will Hurt Americans, Make Our Country Less Safe,” detailing how reverting to FY22 funding levels as House Republicans have proposed would hurt families and our country.
As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murray is deeply committed to finding common ground and working alongside her colleagues to craft appropriations bills this Congress that help families and move our country forward.
Senator Murray’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:
“We’ve heard a lot of talk from House Republicans about cutting spending, but very few specifics. Well, that’s probably because the specifics are actually pretty bad.
“This report makes clear that when House Republicans throw out ideas like “going back to 2022 funding levels”, which Speaker McCarthy and MAGA Republicans in the House want to do, they aren’t actually proposing a “freeze”.
“They are calling for drastic, draconian cuts that will hurt families in every corner of the country, undermine our economy, jeopardize our national security, and limit our future.
“It’s a raw deal for you and your family, to make sure Speaker McCarthy can appease the most extreme House Republicans.
“When House Republicans talk about cutting spending they aren’t just cutting some abstract number or a line on a page. They are talking about massive cuts to countless programs that help families in countless ways, every single day.
“They are talking about cutting health care services.
“They are talking about cutting child care, which is already too hard to find, let alone afford.
“They are talking about cutting the programs that make sure our kids have the very, bottom-line basics— a healthy lunch, clean drinking water, a high quality public education, and a bright future, and making sure your families have the basics— keeping roofs over families’ heads, keeping the heat on in the winter, and keeping food on the table.
“That is what House Republicans want to cut—heck that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
“There’s the 988 suicide lifeline that has helped millions of people. There’s border security that is stopping fentanyl and drug trafficking. There’s research into cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other awful diseases. There’s investments in our workforce, in science, and in technology so we can stay ahead of China.
“That’s what House Republicans want to cut.
“That’s what government spending means to my friends, neighbors, and constituents back in Washington state.
“It may just be a vague number to out-of-touch House Republicans, but to the American people it’s a meaningful presence in their daily lives.
“And I should know—without government spending, my family would not have made it after my dad, a WWII veteran who served his country and made a living for his family running a small general store on main street got so sick with MS, he couldn’t work anymore.
“He got care thanks to the VA. We ate thanks to food stamps. My mom, who all of a sudden had to provide for seven kids, got a better job thanks to federal workforce training. Every one of me and my six siblings went to college thanks to federal grants.
“We made it through tough times, because our country didn’t just say ‘tough luck.’
“But now, the Speaker wants to cut the funding for your kids’ school lunch, the Pell Grant to help you get a degree, and the child care you rely on to get to work.
“That is not ‘common sense.’ It is reckless and heartless. And it is not happening on our watch.
“Cutting opportunities, cutting support, cutting public safety. That is simply not what people back home sent me here to do.
“They want us to solve problems. They want us to make their lives a little better. They want us to make it a little easier for people struggling to make ends meet. They want us to invest in our families, in our communities, and in a brighter future.
“Here’s my message to House Republicans: No one wants chaos—none of your constituents want to have to worry you will wreck the economy by threatening to not pay this country’s bills.
“No one wants to worry about a default and not getting their Social Security check.
“Do the responsible thing—raise the debt ceiling in a bipartisan way, like we always have, and let’s work together to fund the government—no chaos, no drama, let’s just get to work.”
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