Moore Statement on Republican Budget Proposal

Statement

Today, U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee), member of the House Budget Committee, made the following statement after Chairman Paul Ryan unveiled the House Republicans' budget proposal:

"My friend Congressman Ryan has a job to do. He and I agree that we have to get our debt and deficit under control, but we disagree on how to do it.

"He keeps saying that Americans deserve to be told the truth. Americans need to know that we cannot cut our way to a balanced budget. And any budget that includes tax cuts for the richest Americans and corporations is not the way to put us on the path to a balanced budget. We learned during the Bush years that tax cuts for millionaires don't create jobs.

"And we can have a conversation about reforming entitlement spending. But again, let's be honest. Medicare isn't growing unsustainably -- the cost of private health care is growing unsustainably -- by double digits annually -- and Medicare can't keep pace. Off the bat, we can save as much as $156 billion in Medicare Part D by negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to reduce the price we pay for prescription drugs. The Affordable Care Act stopped over payments to private Medicare Advantage plans saving $130 billion over 10 years. By fully implementing this law we will bend the cost curve downward and extend the life of Medicare for future generations. Ignoring this low-hanging fruit and turning Medicare into a voucher is an extreme proposal that actually amounts to rationed care.

"We can balance the budget without doing it on the backs of working families. And that's what I'll be fighting for as we debate this proposal."

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