WASHINGTON DC (February 10, 2020) — Representative Dave Loebsack issued the following statement today after President Trump released his budget for Fiscal Year 2021.
“Since he began campaigning, and as recently as last week, President Trump vowed to not hurt Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, but once again, his proposed budget does the exact opposite and calls for deep cuts. In the midst of flooded fields and low-commodity prices, the President’s budget calls for cuts to crop insurance, which protects more than 90-percent of crop-land acres. Rural communities also face harm due to cuts to initiatives that would expand access to high-speed broadband. Additionally, President Trump’s budget eliminates federally-subsidized student loans and ends public service loans, which assist teachers, police officers, and other public workers with loan-repayment plans.
“Let me make this very clear. This budget is a direct attack on Iowa’s hardworking families, rural communities, retirees and small businesses, all while giving more and more to those who are wealthy and well. We need a budget that works for all Americans, not just millionaires, billionaires, and corporations.”
Other programs that face elimination or steep cuts in President Trump’s budget include:
- Community Development Block Grants (eliminated);
- Economic Development Agency grants (eliminated);
- National Institutes of Health ($3.3 billion cut);
- FEMA disaster preparedness ($1.1 billion cut);
- Army Corps of Engineers ($1.7 billion cut); and
- Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency grants ($2.1 billion cut).
