Rep. Latimer: Republican Budget Plan is “Reverse Robin Hood”

WASHINGTON, DC – Today Congressman George Latimer (NY-16) voted against the House Republican’s budget plan for a second time in two months. This plan would hand $7 trillion in tax giveaways to billionaires while cutting Medicare and SNAP benefits for working-and-middle class families, and free school lunches from 908,000 New York schoolchildren. You can watch Rep. Latimer’s full speech here. 

Rep. Latimer said: “This House Republican budget takes away money from people who desperately need it and gives it to people who already have plenty of it. 

The cuts needed for $7 trillion in tax giveaways will mean over 196,000 residents in Westchester and the Bronx are at risk of losing Medicaid coverage. This includes 73,000 children and 27,000 seniors. This budget plan also threatens 74,000 people who count on SNAP to put food on the table.

This budget plan will also raise premiums for people who receive coverage under the Affordable Care Act by an average of almost $3,000 per year, nearly a 60% increase. Further, a 60-year-old couple with a household income of $85,000 would see their health insurance costs increase by more than $7,500 a year, which is a premium increase of 105%. This is reverse Robin Hood – stealing from the lower and middle classes to benefit the wealthiest.

Republicans have promised to lower costs, but this budget won’t do that at all. Couple these cuts with the President’s thoughtless tariff policies, and life will become harder and more expensive for our neighbors and Americans across the country. As the budget process moves forward in the House, my Democratic colleagues and I will keep fighting for policies that lower costs and provide opportunity for every American.”