Congresswoman Claudia Tenney Statement on Trump's Proposed Budget

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22) released the following statement on President Trump's budget.

"It's been my mission in Washington to eliminate wasteful spending and ensure that government works for the people. The President's budget in its current form does not go far enough to achieve this goal. Several of the programs proposed for elimination or significant cuts in funding, are vital to rural communities across the 22nd District. Many of my constituents depend on these important programs. Pulling the rug out from under them now would be detrimental to our most vulnerable citizens and communities," said Congresswoman Claudia Tenney. "While there are a number of wins in this proposal for our region, vital programs must be retained until we have a thriving economy in New York to support businesses, communities, and individuals who rely on these programs. Throughout the budget debate, I will continue to fiercely advocate for key programs on which constituents in the 22nd District rely."

The proposed cuts include:

-Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)/Community Services Block Grant (CSBG): The budget proposal would eliminate the CDBG program and CSBG grant Program. Cities in the 22nd district including Rome, Utica, and Binghamton all heavily rely on these grants. Until we have a thriving economy in Upstate, eliminating funding for these important resources would be detrimental to our most vulnerable citizens. Rep. Tenney introduced an amendment to restore partial funding to the both the CDBG and CSBG program. The 22nd district receives almost $2 million in CSBG funding used to serve nearly 30,000 individuals. Congresswoman Tenney offered an amendment to restore $10 million is CSBG funding during the FY18 appropriations process. It passed the House with unanimous support.

-Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONCDP): Trump's budget proposes to move two grants out of the ONDCP office and reduce funding by nearly 95 percent. The budget appendix recommends redirecting the ONDCP's two main grant programs, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) grant and the Drug Free Communities (DFC) Act, to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services. Rep. Tenney signed a bipartisan letter to Mick Mulvaney opposing this move.

-Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI): Under the proposed budget, the GLRI will be cut from $300 million to $30 million. Great Lakes are a unique and integral part of our environment and our economy in upstate New York. The GRLI is an important program that works to preserve and protect water quality, prevent invasive species and clean up environmentally-impaired areas of concern. I wrote a letter asking that funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative remain in the 2018 budget.

-Legal Services Corporation (LSC): President Trump's budget zeroes out funding for the LSC, which provides critically important legal services to low- and middle-income families and individuals. Rep. Tenney, an attorney, has consistently opposed LSC's elimination. Last September, Rep. Tenney joined LSC President Jim Sandman at the Legal Aid Society of Mid-New York's office in Utica where she urged the retention of funding and her support for LSC and its legal services.

-Rural Economic Development Program: The budget would eliminate this program. The Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program provides funding for rural projects through local utility organizations.

-21st Century Community Learning Program: The budget proposes eliminating this program altogether. The 21st Century Community Learning Program provides enriching academic experiences for students throughout the country, including the 22nd District.

-Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program: The budget proposes $498 million in cuts to this program, which provides assistance to rural communities for clean drinking water systems, sanitary solid waste disposal, storm water drainage, among others.

-Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): President Trump's budget zeroes out nearly $3.4 billion in funding for LIHEAP. This program helps keep families safe and healthy through initiatives that assist families with high energy costs. With harsh winters and long months of freezing temperatures, New York is a large recipient of LIHEAP assistance.

Positive funding for NY-22 that is included in the budget:

-Increased addiction funding: The budget includes $17 billion in new funding to combat the opioid epidemic for fiscal year 2019. Rep. Tenney wrote a letter to President Trump calling on his administration to recertify the Public Health Emergency for the opioid epidemic and to work alongside Congress to secure the funding necessary to support the declaration.

-Increased STEM/CTE funding: STEM educates students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Rep. Tenney has long supported initiatives to build stronger STEM programs in our local schools and provide assistance to teachers. Rep. Tenney helped secure an important grant for SUNY Cortland to improve STEM teaching programs and is an original co-sponsor of the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act.

-Increased funding for the Department of Veteran Affairs: The budget proposes $11.1 billion in total VA funding, $8.6 billion towards Mental Health Services and $381 million to reduce opioid for management. Rep. Tenney is an original cosponsor of the Veterans Opioid Abuse Prevention (H.R. 3832) that requires Veteran's Health Administration healthcare providers participate in state prescription monitoring programs. Rep. Tenney also secured critical language in last year's budget to ensure every veteran receives immediate assistance from the Veterans Crisis Line.

-Increased border security: The budget sets aside $14.2 billion for U.S. Customs and Border Security, $1.6 billion for construction of a border wall and $8.3 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This is 22% higher than the FY17 level. We must ensure the security of our nation's border immediately. We must stop the flow of illegal-immigrants that is putting our nation's security at risk and placing a financial burden on American citizens.

-Increased funding for the Department of Defense: The budget proposes $810 billion increase in defense spending. Funding the military is among the most important aspects of the budget. Secretary of Defense General James Mattis has made urgent requests to ensure our military can rebuild and repair equipment to end harmful conditions that have led to tragic and avoidable training practice injuries and deaths.

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