DeLauro Blasts Paul Ryan’s Attack on Struggling American Families

New Report Retroactively Tries To Justify Years of Harmful Budgets

WASHINGTON, DC—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) released the following statement today on the political report Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan put forward yesterday. DeLauro is senior Democrat on the subcommittee responsible for funding the departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Labor and a longtime champion for policies that help America’s working families, as well as the poor and most vulnerable in America.

“The federal budget is a statement of values and when we make decisions on where to focus our resources we must give priority to the poor and the vulnerable. By that standard, the budgets Congressman Ryan has put forward as Chairman of the House Budget Committee have been an failure. Namely, he put forward budgets in which at least 62 percent of his nondefense budget cuts would harm poor families.

“Similarly, this report is structurally flawed, as it is on built on a weak foundation of misleading information with an aim to undermining programs that support and provide opportunity for American families, including the poor. Contrary to the report’s claims, the success of our Federal nutrition programs are proven and well documented. Food stamps and the National School Lunch program help keep millions of Americans from slipping into poverty. Medicaid and other health care for low and middle income families are similarly critical to our social safety net. Programs that aid low-income schools, Head Start and Pell Grants are the foundation of the American compact—that if you work hard you can have the opportunity to succeed. Similarly, the value of programs supporting affordable, quality child care is immeasurable.

“This report cherry picks statistics and uses biased research to criticize programs critically important to the most vulnerable Americans. Only by protecting and strengthening the programs that Chairman Ryan tears apart can we ensure freedom, social mobility and economic opportunity for everyone.”