DeLauro Condemns President Trump’s Budget at Budget Committee Hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. — (February 12, 2020) Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) condemned President Trump's Fiscal Year 2021 Budget at a House Budget Committee hearing with Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Russell Vought.

A full video of her speech can be found here, and below is a transcript of her remarks as delivered:

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I think it's been stunning this morning—and what we have been subjected to this morning is an Orwellian presentation that showcases doublespeak. What is doublespeak and what's its purpose? Its purpose is to distort reality. So, let's talk a little bit about reality.

And Mr. Chairman you pointed out that toplines were sent over in July, part of the Bipartisan Budget Agreement. The President signed it and what we find in this new budget is that he has walked away from that budget agreement. Bipartisan, let's talk about that.

Ok, now the other thing is—let me just mention the conversation around budget cuts. Determining whether a federal budget proposal counts as a budget cut is simple: if the proposal would reduce funding for a program's benefit or services, or reduce the number of people who qualify for benefits relative to levels that would occur under current law, it is a cut. Again, reality. Let me clarify some of the distortions of reality about this budget.

The reality about job growth, it has been lagging in key states. Don't take my word for it, let's go to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota: job growth is lagging that's what the Bureau says. Reality.

Real wages are barely increasing. I didn't make up this number Mr. Chairman, it is the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Further reality.

Growth has been essentially the same as under Obama. That comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The growth rate, in reality, is well below past levels. That comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The historical average is three percent, the Trump Administration is two and a half percent, the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Manufacturing. Manufacturing share continues to decline to new all times lows. There is no blue-collar boom. That is doublespeak. And that information comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Because key states lost manufacturing jobs last year: Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio. The data again comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

From the Federal Reserve and from the Census Bureau that the President's policies have only made wealth and income inequality worse. Those are the facts. You can say what you like. You can distort the truth any day of the week. You can continue to talk about cuts in a Orwellian fashion, but they are cuts.

I'm just going give you one last fact. I did a hearing this morning with regard to the Coronavirus. We looked at FEMA and the CDC being two of the pillars that are going to help us in this effort. What are we watching? We are watching the FEMA budget being cut—both individual assistance, both the federal assistance, the disaster relief funds. We're watching the CDC budget being cut. And the money that they need to deal with this virus. And we are watching what they're doing to help states and localities. I rest my case Mr. Chairman. This is nothing but an Orwellian distortion of what the reality is. Thank you, I yield back.

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