Merkley: Families Lose, Billionaires Win in Republican Budget Resolution

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement after Senate Republicans passed another version of their budget resolution:

“For a second time, Republicans passed their budget resolution in the dark of night to double down on their mission to slash programs that help families thrive to fund massive tax breaks for billionaires.

“Democrats fought back with amendment after amendment to lower the cost of groceries, safeguard Medicaid and Social Security, and make it easier for middle class families to make ends meet. And every time, Republicans sided with billionaires over families and voted down these amendments.

“The Republicans’ billionaire tax giveaways will kick millions of Americans off their health insurance, gut education funding for children in need, raise costs for working families, and add trillions of dollars to the national debt. Their plan is: billionaires win, families lose.

“This is Republicans’ Great Betrayal of working families,” said Ranking Member Jeff Merkley.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, Merkley acted as floor manager while the Senate considered dozens of amendments. Merkley led an amendment to strip provisions allowing Republicans to drive up the national debt by trillions of dollars.

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