Congressman Pappas reacts to the Trump Administration’s FY 2020 budget request

Washington, D.C. – Today the Trump Administration released its budget request for Fiscal Year 2020. The proposal totals a record-high $4.75 trillion in spending while cutting key programs and services that are essential for millions of Americans. One bright spot in the budget is the sustained funding for state and local assistance to combat the opioid crisis. Last week New Hampshire's Congressional delegation, including Congressman Chris Pappas, authored a letter to President Trump urging him to maintain this important funding to help New Hampshire and affected communities across the country.

"I'm encouraged to see the President take our Congressional delegation's request seriously by allocating $330 million for state and local funding to combat the opioid crisis which is impacting so many families in New Hampshire and across the country," said Congressman Pappas. "That funding, however, is significantly undercut by lack of support for our law enforcement officials and the proposed block granting of Medicaid, which would cut spending for the program by $1.2 trillion over the next decade. This shortfall would deny coverage to thousands of Granite Staters who depend on it for treatment. In spite of the budget's significant cuts to important health care programs like the Affordable Care Act, the President still manages to add an estimated $2 trillion to our national debt, including billions for a wall that the American people and Congress have already rejected. This budget is anything but responsible and we must do everything we can to protect the programs that are critical for Granite Staters and keep our country safe, healthy, and successful."