America needs The People’s Budget

Cuts outweigh savings in health care legislation

Dear Editor: In his recently sent “Constituent Guide,” U.S Rep. John Faso, R-Kinderhook, outlines his “accomplishments” in the recent House health care legislation.

He touts his “Property Tax Reduction Act.” While I agree the burden of Medicaid costs might better be shared on a different basis, simply shifting the costs from counties to the state in New York without any well-defined plan to replace cuts does not constitute “relief” or a “tax cut.”

The same “health care” legislation supported by Faso that allows this tax shift on the one hand actually cuts Medicaid by $772 billion on the other. States are being left alone to make up the loss in revenue that supports things like nursing homes, drug addiction programs, mental health care, birthing services and more. What do you think that will do to our state taxes, or health care options, while the wealthy get nearly $707 billion in tax reductions?

And though Faso says insurance companies “cannot directly deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions,” they are, under state waivers, allowed to eliminate essential benefits, thus rendering coverage unavailable.

“No member of Congress is exempt from changes in the law,” he also says. That should go without saying. Bragging about it seems odd.

He also says there is “$138 billion included to cover health-related costs.” That’s inadequate, dwarfed alone by the $772 billion in Medicaid cuts he’s fostered.

The bill Faso backs offers “health care tax credits,” but for individuals 55 to 64 years old making $26,000 per year, only $4.000 comes off estimated premiums of $14,000 to $16,000. That unaffordable.

The costs of the House and Senate proposals are draconian compared to Faso’s claim of “savings.”

Marcus Arthur, Saugerties Dear Editor: While members of the Republican majority are competing to see who can make the deepest cuts, there is a budget proposal before Congress that would boost the economy for all of us while cutting the number of people in poverty in half.

It’s The People’s Budget, proposed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

The People’s Budget invests in safe and productive infrastructure, education, affordable housing, health care and nutrition, child care and working family tax credits. It also calls for increasing the minimum wage.

These investments will create 3.6 million jobs and set us on a path to cut poverty in half in 10 years. The People’s Budget invests $2 trillion in infrastructure spending while expanding rural broadband access, universal pre-K and free tuition at state and community colleges.

Every year, without fail, our elected representatives give more than half of the discretionary federal budget to the Pentagon, leaving less than half to be divided up to fund education, health care, environmental spending, infrastructure and everything else.

Douglas Langenau, Salt Point