WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) join Senate Democrats in sharing a report on Thursday laying out how President Trump’s FY 2018 budget proposal will gut funding from critical public health and safety, infrastructure, education, environmental, senior, and job training programs throughout Connecticut.

“If President Trump's budget ever became law, it would devastate Connecticut,” said Murphy. “They say a president's budget is a reflection of his values – if these are President Trump's values, then everyone in this country should be sickened. The good news is that Congress doesn't have to adopt a single line of this budget. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I look forward to working with my Republican friends to make sure this budget never becomes a reality.” 

“This budget is absolutely stunning in its cruelty. It is a gigantic bait and switch – betraying President Trump’s campaign promises by giving humungous benefits to the wealthy and the back of the hand to the most vulnerable Americans,” Blumenthal said. “What it fails to recognize is that our national security involves more than just military spending – it is the health of our children, the education of our workforce, and the strength of our transportation network. This budget is not only cruel – it’s counterproductive.”

 Click here to view the report.

Highlights of the report include:

  • Trump’s FY 2018 budget will cut Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) homeland security funding to help states prepare for and respond to acts of terrorism and create safer communities by $118 million, or 25 percent.
    • In 2016, Connecticut received nearly $4 million from the program. 
  • Trump’s FY 2018 budget will eliminate $500 million from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Program.
    • In 2016, Connecticut received hundreds of grants from the program totaling $20 million.
  • Trump’s FY 2018 budget will cut the National Institutes of Health, which funds and conducts lifesaving medical research, by more than $7 billion.
    • In 2016, Connecticut received and administered $510.6 million in NIH awards, supporting 7,686 Connecticut jobs.
  • In addition to cuts proposed in the House-passed American Health Care Act, Trump’s FY 2018 budget will slash more than $1 trillion from Medicaid over the next ten years.
    • In 2016, Connecticut utilized nearly $7.9 billion in federal Medicaid funding to cover 856,100 low-income children, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities.
  • Trump’s FY 2018 budget will eliminate the Manufacturing Extensions Partnerships program, which help small struggling manufacturers grow and hire new employees.
    • In 2016, Connecticut received nearly $1.5 million through the program, creating and preserving 1,752 Connecticut jobs.
  • Trump’s FY 2018 budget will slash federal programs that fund Meals on Wheels, a nonprofit that delivers hot meals to senior citizens.
    • In 2016, the federal programs helped deliver more than 2 million meals to 23,500 seniors in Connecticut.
  • Trump’s FY 2018 budget will eliminate the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which assists low-income Americans with their energy bills and allows them to access heat in the winter.
    • In 2016, nearly 91,000 Connecticut households relied on the program.

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