Shortly after Republicans in the House of Representatives late n Feb. 25 passed a resolution that creates a framework for a proposed federal budget, Democratic Rep. George Latimer who represents the 16th Congressional District that covers parts of Westchester and the Bronx took to the House floor to warn that residents in his district will be hurt by what plan contemplates.
The measure passed by a vote of 217 to 215 with only one Republican voting against it. The plan calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts over a ten-year period, with corporations and wealthy individuals receiving large cuts. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said that the Republican plan would set in motion the largest cut to Medicaid in American history to help pay for the tax cuts. An estimated 36 million Americans depend on Medicaid for their health care. The plan also calls for raising the country’s debt limit by $4 trillion.
“Like many House Democrats I am clear-eyed about this plan and how it will affect families in Westchester and in the Bronx,” Latimer said. “This budget is a direct attack on the working and the middle class, all while handing more than $4.5 trillion in tax breaks for the wealthiest in our society.”
Latimer said that the spending cuts needed to help pay for the tax breaks will mean more than 196,000 residents in his district are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage.
“This includes 73,000 children and 27,000 seniors,” Latimer said. “This budget plan also threatens 74,000 people who count on SNAP to put food on the table.”
SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that helps low-income Americans afford nutritious foods. To qualify for SNAP assistance in New York, a family of four can have an income of no more than $46,800. Latimer noted that Republicans promised to lower the costs for everyday Americans, one of the themes in President Trump’s campaigning.
“This budget won’t do that at all,” Latimer said. “Instead it will make life harder and more expensive for constituents and Americans across the country.”
Over the next several weeks Republicans in the House will be drafting their budget bill. The Senate has passed its version of a budget, which is milder than what’s in the House resolution.
Republican Rep. Mike Lawler of the 17th Congressional district that includes part of Westchester was quoted as saying both he and President Trump had come out against cutting Medicaid. He also said in an internet post that the national debt is out of control and “that’s unsustainable. We must rein in spending before it bankrupts our country.”
Lawler also said that if the tax cuts that were put in place during the first Trump Administration are allowed to expire, “it would be disastrous for families in the Hudson Valley.”
Lawler said that the resolution that was passed does not specifically mention Medicaid. He pledged to never vote to cut Medicare, which is different from Medicaid, or to cut Social Security or to cut veterans’ benefits.
