WASHINGTON, DC—Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn today released the following statement on the Republican Reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House today.
“I rise in strong opposition to the Republican Reconciliation bill. Like the Republican budget, this misguided legislation provides massive tax breaks to the wealthiest few, Big Oil, and corporations that ship American jobs overseas, and it ends the Medicare guarantee and slashes funding for essential services for the most vulnerable among us.
“Throughout last year’s deliberations of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, I worked to support a fair and balanced plan to address our nation’s long-term fiscal challenges. This legislation utterly fails to meet that common sense standard.
“Despite the Republicans’ stated goal of providing an alternative to the budget sequester contained in last year’s Budget Control Act, this bill maintains the Medicare cuts in the BCA. It also eliminates health care coverage for 300,000 kids on the Children’s Health Insurance Program. It slashes SNAP food assistance for more than 20 million kids. This bill denies nearly 300,000 children school lunches. It completely ends the Social Services Block Grant, which helps 23 million children, seniors, and people with disabilities become self-sufficient and economically independent. And this bill repeals the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provides cancer screenings for women and immunizations.
“The Republican Leadership denied Democrats the opportunity to present an alternative to this fundamentally flawed legislation. I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting against the Republican Budget Reconciliation bill.”