news

Late last night, the House Budget Committee took up the Republicans’ disastrous reconciliation bill and Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) voted no. Republicans reconvened the committee at 10pm ET to pass their bill, which had failed on Friday after several Republicans blocked it to negotiate further – and even more damaging – cuts to Medicaid. 

“Republicans just approved a budget that will rip away healthcare, end nutrition programs, explode the national debt and be incredibly harmful to every American except those in the top 0.1%,” said Rep. Escobar. “This bill makes America sicker, poorer and hungrier so that billionaires can enjoy massive tax breaks.”

The Penn Wharton Budget Model, a non-partisan scorekeeper released their analysis of the Republican budget bill. According to their economists, Americans who make less than $51,000 a year would see their after-tax income fall by about $700 as a result of the Republican proposal beginning next year. 

This would devastate low-income communities such as El Paso, where 43% of El Pasoans earn less than $51,000 according to census statistics.

But the top 0.1 percent? The Penn Wharton Budget Model shows that the top 0.1 percent would see their after-tax income increase by an average of more than $389,000 starting next year.

With this budget, Republicans are deliberately choosing to explode the deficit, and kick 13.7 million people off their healthcare. Americans will be sicker, poorer and hungrier because Republicans have chosen to prioritize billionaire handouts.

Video of the Congresswoman’s reaction after the vote can be found here.