Smith Statement on President Trump’s Budget Proposal
Washington D.C. – Congressman Adam Smith released the following statement in response to President Trump’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018:
“Instead of proposing a budget that makes available the tools Americans and this country need to succeed, the Trump Administration has proposed a disastrous and ideologically-driven budget that demonstrates this President’s complete lack of interest in or understanding of the realities of governing. The President has doubled down on his earlier campaign promises, and makes clear he want to limit the government’s ability to improve the lives of working Americans and diminish our country’s role in the world.
“The budget released today would radically slash investments in programs that seek to expand broad-based economic opportunities and are effective at growing our economy. This proposal would up-end healthcare in the United States, undermine equitable universal education, underinvest in infrastructure, and inflict disastrous cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and National Institutes of Health, among many other agencies and programs. The proposal would endanger the health, well-being, and success of Americans now and in the future. Furthermore, this proposal supports an isolationist worldview that ignores the importance of diplomacy and development abroad.
“The assumptions underlying the Administration’s budget are also based on budget gimmicks. Tax cuts do not pay for themselves and economic growth cannot be wished into existence. Instead, we must enact sound policy solutions and make strategic investments in the economy. It is telling that Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have already stated that this budget proposal is dead on arrival.
“I fundamentally believe that government can, and should, be a force for good. We can responsibility invest in our future and grow the economy to ensure that America remains strong at home and abroad. I encourage the President and my colleagues in Congress to support a budget that focuses on investing in a better future for everyone.”