House GOP Budget More of the Same Harmful Policies
Statement
This week, House Republicans unveiled their budget proposal for fiscal year 2015. Instead of laying being a serious and honest attempt to invest in our priorities and return our nation to fiscal sustainability, their budget is no more than an exercise in partisan messaging. The Republican budget proposal greatly harms our ability to invest in our economy and our people by capping discretionary spending below harmful sequester levels. It repeals the Affordable Care Act for the 53rd time, throwing millions of Americans off their health insurance and turns Medicaid into a capped block grant, decimating the program. It fails to balance in ten years, and it hides billions in harmful spending cuts without giving the American people any details about which programs they would cut. Americans deserve an honest and realistic budget that invests in growing our economy and responsibly reduces our deficits. This budget will be on the House Floor for a vote next week.
This week marked the end of the open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act, and over 7 million Americans have signed up for private health insurance coverage through the federal and state marketplaces. Millions of previously uninsured adults have signed up for state Medicaid programs and an additional 3 million young adults have gained access to health care through their parents' plans. Despite the fact that House Republicans wasted time this week on the 52nd attempt to undermine or repeal the Affordable Care Act, this law continues to benefit millions of Americans.
I hope that when Congress returns next week, House Republicans will abandon their partisan approach to legislating and instead work with Democrats to enact responsible, common-sense proposals to support American families and strengthen our economy. With the Senate set to vote on Monday to renew emergency unemployment insurance, I urge House Republican leaders to follow suit and allow a vote on the bipartisan agreement to restore this program for more than 2.8 million Americans still struggling to find work.
Sincerely yours,
STENY H. HOYER
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