by Viktoria Sundqvist CTNewsJunkie
Republican Senators are writing legislation that will give a tax break to the wealthiest by ripping away programs for American seniors, children, and working families such as Meals on Wheels and Head Start, Connecticut’s two US senators said.
US Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy joined the Senate Democratic Caucus this week in sending an open letter to the public about Congressional Republicans’ plan to cut funding for what they say are “essential social services.”
Congressional Republicans in the US House of Representatives and US Senate passed a budget framework earlier this month, while final details are still being worked out.
Two essential funding sources for social services programs are now being targeted, Blumenthal and Murphy said: the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). SSBG funds Meals on Wheels programs across the country and, in some states, funds programs that help identify and prevent elder abuse.
“Republican leaders claim they have no plans to eliminate essential services, but tens of billions in catastrophic cuts to these programs appeared on Republicans’ published wish list,” the letter from the Democratic coalition stated.
“We write to make our position on this legislation perfectly clear: Congress should not give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans by ripping away programs that almost 25 million Americans – close to 50% of whom are children – rely on for basic needs.”
“You, your family, and your neighbors deserve far better,” the letter continues. “Democrats are fighting to protect your communities from Republican cuts. Join us and keep up the fight.”
President Donald Trump’s spending plan calls for $1.5 trillion in cuts to offset costs of proposed tax cuts. Other planned cuts include those to the Medicaid program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which assists about 42 million low-income Americans with purchasing food.
Republican lawmakers insist they are working to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government, and some have said states should pick up some of the costs for the programs being cut at the federal level.