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(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) voted against the Republican budget resolution.

“Republicans told Americans to trust them on the economy and Donald Trump promised to lower costs on ‘day one.’ But the budget Republicans voted in favor of today — on the heels of Americans losing of trillions of dollars in retirement funds, increasing costs, growing joblessness, and with a potential recession looming ahead - fails to deliver on what they told you they would do,” said Congresswoman Escobar. “There’s only one group this budget helps: billionaires. Hard working Americans will pay for those massive tax breaks with cuts to Medicaid and nutrition programs, and our children will inherit explosive debt.”

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a budget resolution?
According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, a budget resolution is a “blueprint” to guide Congressional action on budget-related legislation over the course of the year. It does not provide funding for federal programs or change tax law; rather, it sets overall spending and revenue targets, sometimes for as many as 10 years.

What is in the Republican budget?
At a glance, the Republican budget has $7 trillion in deficit-financed tax cuts $5.5 trillion that Republicans fraudulently claim are free, plus another $1.5 trillion in additional revenue losses. It has $880 billion in cuts that will decimate Medicaid. It includes $230 billion in cuts that threaten food assistance. There’s also a $5 trillion debt limit increase (Senate instruction). The budget proposal also adds more than $14 trillion in new debt over the decade. For a more detailed breakdown, you can find a fact sheet created by the House Budget Committee here.

How will the Republican budget impact our community?

In data provided by the House Budget Committee that includes figures for every congressional district, the consequences of the Republican budget would be extreme.

Under the Republican budget plan, the 95,000 people who receive coverage under the Affordable Care Act in TX-16 would see their average premium go up by $440 per year — a 100% increase. In TX-23, 91,000 people who receive the same coverage that would see their average premium go up by $470 per year — a 90% increase.

Many families would face even steeper consequences. A 60-year-old couple with a household income of $85,000 in TX-16 would see their health insurance costs increase by $14,534 per year — a 201% increase in premiums. That same couple in TX-23 would see their health insurance costs increase by $12,331 per year — a 171% increase in premiums.

Cuts to healthcare funding would hurt families on Medicaid. In TX-16, the 131,397 people on Medicaid (also known in Texas as STAR+PLUS) are at risk of losing their health care under Republican budget plans. This includes 97,903 children under the age of 19 and 28,000 seniors over 65.

In TX-23, 109,374 people on Medicaid are at risk of losing their health care under Republican budget plans. This includes 81,934 children under the age of 19 and 21,000 seniors over 65.

The Republican budget plan threatens funding for SNAP. 152,000 people in TX-16 and 94,000 people in TX-23 rely on this program to put food on the table.

The Republican budget plan jeopardizes the futures of 27,120 students in TX-16 and 9,142 in TX-23 who use Pell grants to help afford their education.