Statement from NYS Senator Michelle Hinchey on Federal Budget Bill

"On the eve of the celebration of America’s independence, the Congressional Majority advanced a bill that is antithetical to the very founding ideals of our country. This is a bill that will inherently make us less safe, less healthy, and less economically secure – there’s nothing Big and Beautiful about it. Make no mistake, everyday working and middle-class Americans will be negatively impacted. This new reality includes the very real possibility of millions of Americans losing their health insurance, making healthcare more expensive for everyone, and rural and suburban hospitals being forced to cut services, leaving entire regions without access to healthcare. After school and daycare programs will be eliminated overnight, leaving working parents with no childcare and children without learning opportunities, limiting their growth and potential. With the elimination of SNAP benefits, farmers will lose critical markets that their businesses depend on, and families will go hungry, deprived of nutritious, American-grown food. And eliminating good-paying union jobs does nothing to bolster our economy or make us more independent. Instead, it prioritizes private corporations and the ultra-wealthy – there’s no two ways about it.
 

"The votes of the Congressional Majority, including all seven GOP members from New York, will force states to make impossible choices – having to choose between cutting services that keep people alive or raising taxes that people can’t afford. This is the recklessness that Washington has delivered to us. I will do everything I can, in partnership with my colleagues in State Government, to respond for our constituents with compassion and steady leadership as we navigate this irresponsible and despicable chapter."