WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA) today voted against the radical House Republican budget. He issued the following statement:

"Today, my Republican colleagues in the House of Representative voted to cut education funding in half, to cut Medicaid in half, to devastate our investments in research and transportation, and to end Medicare as we know it.

"House Republicans also voted to give the average millionaire a $394,000 tax handout, to continue billions of dollars in subsidies to Big Oil, and to reward companies that offshore American jobs.

"Budgets are a reflection of lawmakers’ values and priorities. This budget does not reflect the values of most Americans. We need to create jobs and preserve vital health services, not take them away. We need to responsibly reduce the deficit, yet this budget manages to increase the deficit while harming the most vulnerable in our society. This radical assault on the health and livelihood of middle class and lower income Americans and seniors cannot stand. 

"There are people that call this plan the ‘Ryan budget’, but I reject this phrasing. Every single Member of Congress who supports this radical Republican budget owns its contents."