Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget plan that would take away health coverage and nutrition assistance to millions of Americans, including hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans. The House budget plan also extends over $1 trillion in tax cuts on households with incomes in the top 1 percent. New Jersey representatives Jeff Van Drew, Chris Smith, and Tom Kean, Jr. voted in favor of the House budget plan. In response, New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP) issues the following statement:
Peter Chen, Senior Policy Analyst, NJPP:
“No New Jersey family should have to go without health care or food in one of the wealthiest states in the nation. Yet, the House budget resolution passed last night sets the stage for making the state less affordable for the working-class folks who need help the most. Every ‘Yes’ vote was a vote to cut Medicaid, food assistance, and the basic safety net that keeps all New Jerseyans economically secure.
“The numbers are stark: 700,000 people at risk of losing health insurance; 800,000 people at risk of losing food assistance. But beyond the numbers, each of those statistics is a person’s life, someone who is just trying to get by as costs increase. New Jersey’s elected officials must stand up for those people, instead of cutting these services to fund tax cuts to billionaires and giant corporations.”
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