In response to the release of the President’s fiscal year 2021 budget, which would drastically cut popular and effective programs that are important to Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton issued the following statement:
“The President’s newly released budget makes severe, unnecessary cuts to effective and popular programs that Virginians rely on -- it would be devastating for families in my district. The nearly $1 trillion in combined cuts to Medicaid and other Affordable Care Act subsidies would threaten health care for millions.
“This budget wipes out the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and subsidized student loans, it hits Virginia seniors hard by cutting Social Security and Medicare, and hurts the more than 35,000 federal workers in my district by reducing the value of federal employee retirement benefits.
“Important local priorities would also face cuts, like grants to help protect Virginia’s coastlines, programs to support small and rural agriculture businesses, funds for the remote tower pilot program at Leesburg Airport, and EPA support for the Chesapeake Bay Program.
“If his budget is meant to be a statement of his values, President Trump’s drastic cuts make it abundantly clear that he does not share Virginia’s values; instead, he seems willing to leave our families behind. I will work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to create a realistic budget that puts American families first and defends the right to affordable, quality health care.”
The Trump budget would jeopardize health care for Virginia families and slashes critical safety net programs. Cuts of nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid and ACA subsidies would jeopardize health care for millions of Americans. Severe spending reductions in Medicare, amounting to half a trillion dollars, and cuts to Social Security Disability Insurance threaten vital programs that Virginia’s seniors rely on.
The Trump administration turns its back on borrowers being crushed by student loan debt. Under the new proposal, subsidized student loans would be stopped entirely and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, designed to provide debt relief to students entering public service professions such as teachers, police officers, and nurses, would be completely eliminated.
Federal workers are still under attack by the Trump administration. Not only would their work be severely undermined by the steep cuts in funding, especially at the Environmental Protection Agency and key agencies at the Department of Agriculture, but the White House budget also requires employees to pay more for their retirement benefits and reduces annual cost of living adjustments for retirees.
Local infrastructure and environmental priorities lose under Trump’s budget plan. The budget does not fund the Leesburg Remote Tower Pilot Program, an innovative program to help airports and boost local economies that Congresswoman Wexton fought and secured funding for last year. The Chesapeake Bay Program also faces a significant reduction in funding, and the elimination of Coastal Zone Management Grants would harm efforts to protect Virginia’s coastline.
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