April 16, 2015

Senator Warren Highlights Republican Budget's Damaging Impact on Massachusetts Families

New Analysis Shows Budget's Effect on the Commonwealth

WASHINGTON, DC - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren today released a new analysis highlighting the damaging impact in Massachusetts of the Republicans' 2016 federal budget, which would eliminate important benefits for middle-class families while giving billions of dollars in new tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. The budget process moved forward this week with the formation of a conference committee to work out differences between the Senate and House budget resolutions, which were passed in March.  

"The Republican budget helps the rich get richer and the powerful get more powerful while our children, college students, seniors, workers, and middle-class families are left behind. That's not how we build a future," Senator Warren said. "Our budget should reflect our values, and that means expanding Social Security, strengthening our nation's investments in education, research and infrastructure, and making sure hardworking families have a real opportunity to succeed."

The analysis released today shows that the Republican budget would have significant consequences for working families in the Commonwealth. In Massachusetts, the Republican budget could:

• Cost 56,000 jobs because of reduced federal investment in infrastructure, research, education, and health care
• Raise taxes for nearly 200,000 working families
• Raise costs for 131,000 college students by freezing Pell Grants for low-income students
• Cut healthcare programs for more than 85,000 women and children
• Raise Medicare costs for nearly all seniors - almost one million seniors - in the Commonwealth
• Cut Medicaid funding for 26,000 nursing home residents
• Cut support for 860,000 residents who depend on food stamps
• Reduce education funding for up to 150,000 kids with disabilities

During the recent budget debate, Senator Warren introduced an amendment to strengthen and expand Social Security, which would support the more than 860,000 seniors in the Commonwealth who depend on Social Security benefits to help make ends meet. She also introduced an amendment to allow students to refinance their student loan debt at lower interest rates. Student loan debt in the United States now totals $1.3 trillion, and since last year more than a million more people have fallen behind on their student loan payments. Republicans blocked both amendments.

While deeply concerned about the impact of the Republican budget resolution on middle class families, Senator Warren fought to ensure that it included important protections for Massachusetts fishermen. The Senate passed a bipartisan budget amendment introduced by Senator Warren to support at-sea and dockside monitoring for fisheries that have received economic disaster assistance. A fishery disaster declaration was declared in 2012 for the Northeast, and this amendment helps make sure the costs of required at-sea and dockside monitoring are covered by the federal government for Massachusetts fishermen hit by this disaster.

Read the analysis of the Republican budget's impact on Massachusetts' families here.

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