Rep. Watson Coleman Statement on Reconciliation Vote
Today, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman issued the following statement after Republicans voted to advance a budget proposal that would strip 13.7 million Americans of their healthcare to pay for $3.8 trillion in tax cuts predominately for the rich and large corporations - while still adding $2.5 trillion to the deficit.
“This is the most harmful budget I have ever seen advanced during my time in Congress. It makes unprecedented cuts to basic needs programs, like food assistance and Medicaid, that support vulnerable populations for the express purpose of paying for tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the very richest Americans and large corporations.
“This budget puts the healthcare of nearly 2 million New Jerseyans at risk throughout our state. That includes over 120,000 people just in my district - 60,000 of whom are children. On top of that, it would increase health insurance premiums for folks who get their coverage through the Affordable Care Act, making healthcare more expensive for over 32,000 New Jerseyans in the 12th District.
“And that’s just from what we know so far. It’s still not totally clear to anyone just how bad this bill truly is. Republicans have been cutting backroom deals up to the last minute before rushing to vote on a bill that nobody has had time to fully examine.
“This entire process has played out behind closed doors and under cover of darkness. They called the Budget Committee to vote on the bill at 11:00pm on Sunday. They convened the Rules Committee to consider the bill at 1:00am on Wednesday. And they brought it to the Floor at 2:00am today before a final vote at 7:00am.
“This budget is shameful and cruel. It takes from the most vulnerable to profit the most comfortable. It will make the rich even richer and the poor even poorer. It’s exactly the kind of policy we can expect from a government that is beholden not to the people they represent, but to the billionaire donors that bankroll their campaigns.”