May 26, 2017

Warren: Trump Budget Devastating to Massachusetts Families and Economy

Budget Slashes Investments in Infrastructure, Health Care, Education, and Other Vital Programs

Read the analysis of Trump budget cuts on MA here (PDF)

Washington, DC - Senator Warren today highlighted the negative effects of President Trump's proposed budget on Massachusetts, releasing an analysis compiled by Senate Democrats about the widespread impact of federal funding cuts on families and economic growth.

"President Trump's budget would be devastating for Massachusetts," Senator Warren said. "Massachusetts pays more in taxes than we get back from the federal government. But the federal investments we do receive play a crucial role driving our economy and supporting hardworking families trying to make ends meet. Instead of continuing this important work, President Trump wants to slash trillions of dollars of spending so he can give massive tax breaks to the rich. This is wrongheaded and reckless."

The budget proposal released by President Trump on Tuesday features significant spending cuts across a wide range of federal programs that directly support Massachusetts. Some examples include:

  • Infrastructure: Eliminating funding for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program, which has provided more than $150 million for local transportation priorities in MA since the program began in 2009.
  • Education: Zeroes out the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and reduces Federal Work-Study, costing Massachusetts students as much as $28 million or more, and dramatically cuts the TRIO and GEAR UP college completion programs. The budget eliminates the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which funds before school, afterschool, and summer learning programs - a program that provided $18 million to Massachusetts just last year.
  • Economic Development: Eliminates funding for Community Development Block Grants, which helps fund local economic development initiatives in Massachusetts cities in towns, including more than $91 million last year. The budget also cuts nearly $6 billion from the National Institutes of Health, an agency whose awards to Massachusetts totaled $2.5 billion in 2016 and supports more than 40,000 jobs in the Commonwealth. 
  • Families and Seniors: Cuts all funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which last year provided nearly $15 million to Massachusetts residents, including 118,000 households with elderly occupants, people with disabilities, and children under 5. Reduces funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which sent $1.2 billion in assistance to Massachusetts families in 2016.

The full analysis compiled by Senate Democratic leadership is available here. On Thursday, Senator Warren released a report produced by her office focusing on the effect on Massachusetts of proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

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