Ranking Member Scott Statement on President Trump’s FY 2026 Proposed Budget
“Once again, Trump is weakening our economy and taking money out of working families’ pockets under the guise of ‘efficiency.’ But we know the truth.”
“In the first 100 days since Donald Trump has returned to the White House, he has made one thing abundantly clear: he has no plan to improve the lives of students, workers, and families. Instead, he has decimated federal agencies that provide key services, stripped away workers’ rights, and imposed reckless tariffs that threaten to skyrocket prices.
“President Trump’s budget proposal is yet another attack on working families. The budget calls for slashing funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, eliminating Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funds that support efforts to reduce poverty, and terminating programs such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) that help families heat and cool their homes. This budget pulls the rug out from families and proposes devastating cuts that would cause immense harm.
“Additionally, the budget continues the illegal dismantling of the Department of Education, with no suggestion on how this downsized Department will be able to fulfill its statutory duties. By cutting funding for K-12 schools, eliminating a program that provides child care on campus, eliminating programs that provide direct support services for disadvantaged students that promotes college access, President Trump’s budget proposal does nothing to deliver for students. Moreover, students deserve safe learning environments. Trump’s further slashing the Office for Civil Rights is alarming and leaves students who have been victims of discrimination without recourse.
“Despite the recent economic volatility, President Trump’s budget proposes to double down on its agenda which could harm both workers and small businesses by cutting $3.6 billion from crucial workforce development programs at the Department of Labor. These programs help displaced workers, veterans, and people with disabilities get trained and connected to employers who need skilled workers to compete in a global economy. Worse still, the budget fails to explain how it will cut a further $1 billion from the Department of Labor’s budget. If this remaining $1 billion is slated to come from slashing the capacity of agencies to protect workers from wage theft and deadly workplace hazards, the Administration should be up front about it. The same is true for the Administration’s failure to come clean on whether it will actually reverse the destruction of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the Department of Health and Human Services. Working families depend on these programs for their lives and livelihoods.
“Once again, President Trump is weakening our economy and taking money out of working families’ pockets under the guise of ‘efficiency.’ But we know the truth— working Americans health and well-being are being sacrificed to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and the well-connected.”
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