Republican Representative Paulsen Votes for Budget Cuts that Will Hurt Minnesotan Families

Credit: Glen Stubbe, Star Tribune

Republican Representatives Tom Emmer, Erik Paulsen, and Jason Lewis today voted to pass a budget that will hurt Minnesotan families. The budget makes drastic cuts to vital programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. It eliminates the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction, which saves Minnesotans thousands of dollars per year. On top of that, it is predicted to increase the budget deficit by at least $1.5 trillion.

“A budget is a moral document, and the Republican budget is a moral failure,” DFL Chairman Ken Martin said. “Minnesotans deserve a budget that ensures financial stability for the country–and for their family. This document does neither. It cuts critical programs that help working families keep food on the table while putting our nation on the path of economic disaster. Republican Representatives Emmer, Paulsen, and Lewis must be held accountable for voting for this misguided budget that will harm the nation’s economy, and Minnesotan’s pocketbooks.”

MEDICARE:

  • The Senate budget calls for nearly $500 billion in cuts to Medicare.
  • In Minnesota, nearly 1 million people who rely on Medicare are at risk.
  • Medicare beneficiaries make up 17 percent of Minnesota’s total population, including:
    • Seniors: 86 percent of Medicare beneficiaries in Minnesota are seniors.
    • People with disabilities: 14 percent of Medicare beneficiaries in Minnesota have a disability.
    • Women: 45 percent of Medicare beneficiaries in Minnesota are women.
    • Rural communities: Nearly one in four Medicare beneficiaries nationwide live in rural areas.

MEDICAID:

  • The Senate budget calls for more than $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid – an even deeper cut than Republicans proposed in their health care repeal bills.

NUTRITION & INCOME SECURITY PROGRAMS:

  • The Senate budget calls for deep cuts to programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, and Social Security.
  • SNAP helps 9% of Minnesota’s families and workers stay out of poverty and keep healthy food on the table.

o    69 percent of SNAP participants in Minnesota are in families with children.

o    50 percent of SNAP participants in Minnesota are in working families.

o    33 percent of SNAP participants in Minnesota are in families with members who are seniors or have a disability.

TAX CUTS FOR WEALTHY:

  • By passing the Senate budget, Republicans have cleared the first hurdle in moving forward to a vote on a tax bill that has been written in secret and few have seen. If the Republican tax plan were to pass:
  • The richest one percent of Minnesota residents would receive 62 percent of the state’s total tax cuts in 2018. These households are projected to earn at least $632,000 next year and would see an average tax cut of $66,000 in 2018.
  • In stark contrast, middle-class Minnesotans would only receive 7% percent of the state’s total tax cuts. These households would only get an average tax cut of $370 in 2018.
  • Millionaires alone would get 55 percent of the state’s total tax cuts. Their average tax cut would be 212 times the tax cut middle class families would get.
  • 19 percent of Minnesota households would face a tax hike if the GOP tax plan was in effect in 2018.
  • SOURCE: ITEP State-by-State Impact of GOP tax plan

OTHER CUTS:

  • CUTS TO EDUCATION AND TRAINING: Nationwide, the Senate budget cuts close to $200 billionfrom services like Pell Grants and student loan assistance over the next decade.