Today, President Trump submitted a budget proposal to Congress that would recklessly and heartlessly slash funding for crucial programs working families rely on every day. If passed, this proposal would cut trillions of dollars from our social safety net, including nearly a trillion dollars from Medicaid alone. Disability benefits, the earned income and child tax credits, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (commonly known as food stamps), and countless other essential supports are also on the chopping block. At the same time, the budget would eliminate entirely the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, a critical enforcement agency for important workplace protections.
While the president’s budget proposal also claims to create a right to paid parental leave, it purports to pay for the program by offsetting any federal costs through dubious “reforms” to the already over-stressed unemployment insurance system. At A Better Balance, we are proud to have been leaders in fighting for and winning twelve weeks of job-protected paid family leave to bond with a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or address critical military family needs in New York and continue to fight for comprehensive paid leave programs around the country. Empty promises like today’s proposal simply are not enough.
As a whole, the president’s budget reflects a dangerous and draconian agenda to send our country backward that harms much more than it claims to help. We reject it and the cynical vision behind it. Congress and the White House can, should, and must do much better for America’s working families.
