(BOSTON) — Statement of Robert Restuccia, executive director of Community Catalyst, in response to Senate passage of a budget resolution today that sets in motion massive tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans and corporations and cuts to vital health care and other social safety-net programs. 

“The budget resolution the Senate passed today paves the way for massive tax cuts for the wealthiest top one percent of Americans and corporations at the expense of struggling Americans and middle-class families. The budget resolution lays the foundation for $1.5 trillion in tax cuts that would balloon the deficit, potentially opening the door to devastating cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and other critical safety-net programs.

“It is hard to reconcile the often-repeated Senate Republican claim – made most recently during the debate on Medicaid block grants and per capita caps – that there’s not enough money to support vital safety-net programs that seniors, children, people with disabilities and working families reply on with actions that set in motion enormous tax breaks for the richest Americans and corporations.

“It’s time for Republicans in Congress to stop working to dismantle health care for people across the country. Instead, they should work in a bipartisan fashion to protect and improve our health care system and ensure that all Americans can get access to the care they need and deserve.”

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About Community Catalyst

Community Catalyst is a national, non-profit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1998 with the belief that affordable, quality health care should be accessible to everyone. We work in partnership with national, state and local organizations, policymakers, and philanthropic foundations to ensure consumer interests are represented wherever important decisions about health and the health system are made: in communities, courtrooms, statehouses and on Capitol Hill. For more information, visit www.communitycatalyst.org. Follow us on Twitter @healthpolicyhub.