PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins (NY-26), a member of the House of Representatives Committees on Budget and Ways & Means, provided a preliminary analysis of the newly released White House FY2018 budget and the impact it would have on Western New York.
“This is a budget based on politics and numbers not people,” said Congressman Higgins. “The disabled, college students, seniors, veterans and children all pay a steep price in the President’s budget. Under the White House Budget, Community Development Block Grants, HOME, HEAP and economic development programs are eliminated and investments in scientific and biomedical research are slashed. For Western New York communities and residents this is a plan for economic disaster.”
White House Budget – Big Picture:
- Assumes $250 billion in savings by repealing & replacing the Affordable Care Act
- Includes $1.6 billion for a southern border wall
- Reduces Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income benefits
- Cuts $610 billion from Medicaid over 10 years, in addition to a $839 billion cut under the GOP healthcare bill
- Reduces the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) budget by more than 31%
- Adds $54 billion to the Defense Budget
- Eliminates federally subsidized student loans
- Cuts $3.2 billion in support for 100% disabled/unemployable veterans
- Authorizes $200B over 10 years from infrastructure, assumes federal allocation plus state/local governments & private sector contributions meet $1 trillion goal
- Authorizes a new (BRAC) round of military base closures in 2021
Detailed Budget Breakdown Specific to WNY Priorities:
