Mulvaney also faced criticism for his decision to reject the Office of Government Ethics’ request for information about which former lobbyists are receiving secret waivers from President Trump.
Sen. Murray: President Trump’s budget a summary of broken promises to working families and the middle class, in Washington state and nationwide.
Sen. Murray: “I have to say—you’ve got a tough job today—I don’t envy you. You have been asked to come to this Committee to explain the unexplainable and to defend the indefensible.”
(Washington, D.C.) – Following President Trump’s budget proposal released on Tuesday, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) questioned Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney during a hearing of the Senate Budget Committee today about President Trump’s plans to slash critical investments in working families, communities, and the economy in Washington state and across the country. Sen. Murray asked Mr. Mulvaney about several promises President Trump made during the campaign that are not reflected in his proposed budget, including the President’s commitment to expand access to quality, affordable health care and to not cut Social Security benefits. Additionally, Sen. Murray also followed up the hearing with questions to Mr. Mulvaney about the status of several Washington state programs threatened with drastic cuts or complete elimination in President Trump’s budget plan, including funding cuts for restoration of Puget Sound, Hanford cleanup, salmon recovery, and vital transportation and infrastructure initiatives.
Excerpts from Sen. Murray’s opening remarks as prepared:
“President Trump spent his campaign promising workers that he would stand with them—promising seniors that he would protect their care—and promising the middle class that he would tilt the playing field back in their direction. But what we have in front of us—this budget—is a perfect summary of all of the ways those promises have been broken.”
“I am very glad to see that it’s not just Democrats—Republicans are already coming out and rejecting this budget. Because we were able to reach a deal on the fiscal year 2017 spending bill for one reason, and one reason alone—and that is that Democrats and Republicans joined together to ignore President Trump’s absurd and extreme budget proposals.”
“We spent a lot of time in Congress lurching from one budget crisis to the next over the years. It hurt the economy—hurt the middle class—and eroded trust in government. We pulled back from the brink with the bipartisan budget deals we’ve been able to do since the end of 2013—but it is clear this Administration intends to push us right back into crisis mode.”
“I was extremely disappointed to see that you rejected the Office of Government Ethics’ request for information on which former lobbyists are receiving secret waivers from President Trump. I think this is wrong, I urge you to reverse course and cooperate with the Ethics office, and I assure you I will keep pushing you and the administration on this.”
“I am really disappointed that the budget reverses course on the bipartisan progress made in recent years and puts us back on the path of crises and dysfunction. I view this failure to lead and to govern as one more broken promise from this President.”
Additional Topics to be submitted as Questions for the Record to Director Mulvaney:
- Cuts to the Hanford cleanup budget, especially in the wake of recent events, and how the Administration’s budget will meet the federal government’s legal and moral obligations
- Deep and draconian cuts to critical U.S. Department of Energy research and development programs which are supported by national laboratories like Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and research institutions across the nation
- A proposal to privatize the Bonneville Power Administration’s transmission system at the expense of Northwest ratepayers
- Zeroing out funding for successful salmon recovery and habitat restoration programs like the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund and EPA’s Puget Sound cleanup
- Elimination of the TIGER program, which helps local communities solve transportation challenges
- Walking away from transit projects, which are vital to improving efficiency, increasing economic stability and growth, and providing alternatives to commuters experiencing increased congestion
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