Washington D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement in response to Senate Republicans releasing their blueprint for a first budget reconciliation bill:

“Republicans are making clear with their budget blueprint that they are serious about eliminating the Department of Education, cutting Medicaid and Medicare, and increasing wait times for veterans by slashing the VA. The Senate Republican Budget shows they are blindly following the lead of Elon Musk rather than the needs of the American people. This started with illegal impoundments, and then Musk and DOGE ransacking and infiltrating federal agencies to make arbitrary cuts—and based on the nearly $1 trillion in unspecified spending cuts assumed for this year alone, Republicans are not just okay with Elon Musk running wild, but are encouraging him to target schools, health care, transportation, and other services people who aren’t billionaires rely on.  

“Let’s not lose sight of the fact that these cuts are a precursor to Republicans giving massive tax cuts to billionaires while blowing up the deficit and grinding services Americans depend on—like Medicaid and SNAP—down to the bone.  

“Prices are rising and families need help. People are right to be outraged that Republicans’ first instinct is to deliver massive giveaways for billionaires while putting a target on nutrition and health care. The single biggest driver of our national debt since 2001 has been Republican tax cuts—and America can’t afford another round. Democrats are ready to right-size our budget by simply asking giant corporations and billionaires to pay their fair share in taxes, while still investing in health care, our schools, environment, and more. I will be on the side of regular working people when I arrive at Wednesday’s Budget Committee markup—not billionaires like Elon Musk.”

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