Washington, DC – Assistant Democratic Leader James E. Clyburn today issued the following statement on President Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2018:
“Budgets are about much more than dollars and cents. They are value statements, American values. Today Donald Trump has once again shown us where his are. He talks about improving our infrastructure, but his budget slashes billions of dollars from federal infrastructure funding. For middle income Americans and those struggling in poverty, his budget proposes to slash billions from safety net programs they depend on; nursing home care, affordable health care, food and heating assistance and legal aid. This budget is an attack on seniors, students, low-income families, and rural communities.
“For South Carolina, the Trump Budget would be a disaster if enacted. Eliminating most of the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development programs cuts off the lifeline rural counties depend on. This office funds schools, water systems, and supports rural housing and businesses. Eliminating the Community Development Block Grant program cuts the main source of federal funding for municipalities to provide critical infrastructure and housing support. The budget also proposes to eliminate funding for the National Heritage Areas through the National Park Service, which would decimate the two in our state, the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor and the Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.”