Today, Rep. Pete Aguilar issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s budget request:

“What President Trump released is not a budget; it is a collection of cuts to every federal program that supports Inland Empire working families. San Bernardino County residents will pay the price for these draconian cuts, which target families who rely on Medicaid, funds for our already struggling schools, food assistance for children living in poverty and support for students who want a higher education. The Trump budget raises costs for seniors, college students and families who are already struggling with everyday living expenses, just so the president can prioritize massive tax breaks for the top one percent.

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I understand the difficulty and diplomacy that is required to craft a spending bill that both supports our defense and military, while providing essential services to help middle-class families in my community and those like it around the nation. In fact, Congress passed a spending bill earlier this month that accomplishes these goals.

The president’s budget request is a non-starter in Congress. We need to balance the budget and reduce our nation’s deficit but we cannot do this on the backs of middle-class families, which is exactly what the president’s budget would do.”

Pete Aguilar represents California’s 31^st Congressional District and is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.