Gwen Moore: Ryan Budget "Robs Peter to Pay Paul"

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-4) released the following statement on the proposed budget crafted by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and House Republicans for the 2014 fiscal year:

"As a Member of the House Budget Committee, it amazes me that my colleague Paul Ryan and his GOP counterparts have once again presented a budget that is neither fair nor balanced and is clearly class warfare against the poor and middle class. Simply put, it "robs Peter to pay Paul' and in this case "Peter' is the poor and "Paul' is the rich.

"Despite the American people rejecting this same blueprint during the Presidential election, Republicans are resorting to the same tactics. They have again proposed the fairytale of repealing the Affordable Care Act and are cutting domestic spending to the bone.

"Most egregious in this budget are the fundamental changes to the structure of Medicare and Medicaid which would virtually end these programs as we know them. This budget would slice into the social safety net, taking aim not only at discretionary spending, but at mandatory spending on Medicare and Medicaid.

"Once again, the Ryan budget proposes block-granting Medicaid, ending its entitlement status. This would not only cut funding for insurance coverage for low-income children and adults, it would cut funding for nursing home care for poor seniors, many of whom rely on Medicaid to cover their long-term care expenses. Their budget would also do the same for food stamps and a number of other programs that are crucial to lifting Americans out of poverty.

"Additionally, in another Bush era throwback, the Republican budget proposes once again to "voucherize' Medicare. The bottom line is that this plan would shift costs to seniors, jeopardize their care, and erode traditional Medicare.

"A budget is a moral document that reflects the priorities in which a country will invest their resources. Sadly, the Republicans have once again shown that they are blatantly willing to rob from the poor to give to the rich, turning the current wealth gap into a gaping chasm.

"As we debate this budget, I hope that more sensible heads will prevail and we will be able to pass a fairer budget that doesn't seek to crush the least of these in our country."

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