Over the past few years, the American economy has steadily improved, slowly recovering from the Great Recession. American businesses have added 14.4 million new jobs, and deficits have declined as a share of GDP to pre-recession levels. But rather than accelerate that growth through targeted federal investments, House Republicans continue to push a budget that will cut funding for job-creating programs and put our most vulnerable citizens at risk.
Even more disconcerting is the fact that this budget plan keeps tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans, while indiscriminately cutting spending and disinvesting in programs and small business that are driving our economic recovery.
This budget abandons the federal government’s important role in promoting private investment in new technologies, training a 21st century workforce, and making infrastructure investments that help our nation’s businesses compete in the world economy. At its core, the Republican budget lacks a vision for America and threatens to permanently freeze most Americans out of the middle class.
For example, the Republican budget cuts nearly $200 billion in higher education funding, freezes Pell grant funding, and increases costs on students trying to go to school. It slashes investments in innovation, technological development, and programs that will promote a cleaner energy future. It fails to improve or even adequately maintain our nation’s bridges, roads and transit systems.
The budget also hits our most vulnerable populations, including seniors, by cutting Medicaid by $1 trillion and taking more than $450 billion from Medicare. Seniors will be forced to come up with co-pays for preventive services, and will again face the burden of paying for prescription drugs when they reach the Medicare “donut hole.”
Lastly, I am worried these cuts will likely impact our national laboratories — two of which are in New Mexico — and their national security mission, especially at a time when members of both parties are increasingly concerned about threats abroad.
We learned from past sequestration cuts how devastating the impact can be, not just to the labs, but even more so to the small businesses that contract with the labs. Federal budget cuts, along with the uncertainty of future contracts, is one of the reasons New Mexico has failed to recover from the recession.
These new divestments will only worsen the most significant problem that this Congress needs to address: Not everyone has benefited equally from our nation’s economic growth.
Many states and regions are still struggling with stubbornly high unemployment, including my home state of New Mexico — which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. Most middleclass American workers have not seen their paychecks significantly grow for years, despite strong gains in worker productivity. And the poverty rate remains above pre-recession levels while too many middleclass Americans have been left behind.
It will require continued partnership between the federal government and every major sector of the American economy to solve these problems.
In fact, no place reflects the need for increased federal collaboration more than New Mexico. Whether it is in health care, national defense, the oil and gas industry, infrastructure, education, environmental protection, agriculture, or construction, federal support in these areas builds upon and stimulates private sector investment, economic growth, and job creation. America succeeds when all levels of government and private industry are working together. That includes Republicans working with Democrats in Congress, and Congress working with the president.
If Congress fails to partner in promoting economic growth, we will continue to see wages lag and middleclass families fall behind those at the very top. It is short-sighted and careless to support the record cuts included in this budget.
Michelle Lujan Grisham represents New Mexico’s 1st congressional district. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
