July 13, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 13, 2023 

Contact: Sasha Galbreath, Sasha.Galbreath@mail.house.gov 

Congressman David Trone Calls “Bull” on Republicans’ “Cutting the Fat” Mantra During Financial Services and General Government Funding Bill Mark-up

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman David Trone (D-MD), member of the House Committee on Appropriations, released the following statement condemning Republicans’ funding cuts during the full House Appropriation Committee’s markup of the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Subcommittee’s Fiscal Year 2024 funding bill:

“Our Republican colleagues have continued to renege on our bipartisan budget agreement under the ridiculous guise of ‘cutting the fat.’ I’ve seen the numbers, and these Republican selling points are nothing but cheap talk for political gain, and they will only cost Americans more in the long term. 

“Despite increasing our defense budget to the tune of $29 billion, extreme House Republicans have hung their hats on starving critical departments and agencies of resources, slashing clean energy investments, gutting consumer protections, and threatening democracy by cutting election security. And then they have the nerve to complain that our government isn’t working as well as it should.

“Here’s the truth about investment: debt is an investment in your business, your ideas, and your people. It’s about thinking long-term to get a return on your investment. When I started my business, I took on debt. I believed in my product and my team, and these investments helped us to grow. 

“Let’s be clear: the investment decisions we make in this room can make the difference between life and death, such as funding the Office of National Drug Control Policy to prevent overdose deaths or supporting the IRS to ensure our teachers and firefighters aren’t paying more in taxes than Elon Musk. Cutting these programs to the bone is not fiscal responsibility – it’s a fool’s errand. And all the while, the majority on the House Ways & Means Committee blows a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act-sized hole in the budget for this country’s wealthiest. 

“‘Cutting the fat’ from federal programs does not mean defunding the very programs that helped keep the lights on for so many during our darkest times in the last few years. Long term, we must come together to pay down the national debt, but the last thing we need is less accountability in our tax system, more fraud in our economy, and more Americans suffering because Congress pulled the rug out from under them.

“That’s exactly what this bill will do. I oppose this bill, and I hope my colleagues on the other side are willing to take a real look at our income and cost drivers if they actually want to balance the budget, rather than this farce.”

Background:

By cutting these agencies and including deep cuts of prior funding, House Republicans are making Americans less safe.

• The 2024 FSGG subcommittee allocation is $11.3 billion, 58 percent below the 2023 level and 64 percent below the President’s budget request.

The legislation benefits scammers, fraudsters, and cheaters—billionaires, big corporations, and the well-connected—at the expense of hardworking Americans by:

• Enabling individuals to sell dangerous products with cuts to the Consumer Product Safety Commission including unsafe products for children.
• Leaving seniors vulnerable to losing their life savings to scams by cutting the Federal Trade Commission.
• Increasing robocalls by cutting funding for the Federal Communications Commission.
• Drastically underfunding the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is tasked with making sure markets are fair and protecting investors from bad actors.
• Making our elections less secure with no funding for Election Security Grants.

Congressman David Trone was elected to the House of Representatives in November 2018 to serve the 6th District of Maryland, which includes all or part of Montgomery, Frederick, Washington, Allegany, and Garrett Counties. Trone serves on the Appropriations, Budget, and Joint Economic Committees in the 118th Congress. In Congress, Trone is fighting to make progress on issues that matter to Marylanders.

Follow Congressman Trone at @RepDavidTrone for updates on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.