Congresswoman Lee's Statement on the President's FY 2016 Budget Proposal

Statement

Congresswoman Barbara Lee released the following statement in response to President Obama's Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Proposal:

"Today, the President presented a budget to Congress that helps ensure the American dream is open and accessible to all.

Our economy continues to recover from the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression, yet that recovery remains unequal. The President's Budget Proposal is a framework for addressing income inequality and supports families seeking ladders of opportunity into the middle class.

By tripling the child care tax credit, making two years of community college tuition free and investing in early childhood education, the President's Budget Proposal fights for working families while ensuring a highly trained and educated 21st century workforce. It also ends senseless sequester austerity cuts, invests in our infrastructure and increases revenue by enacting comprehensive immigration reform.

The President's Budget Proposal actively addresses income inequality and makes serious pro-family fiscal reforms; now, the Pentagon must reform its fiscal house as well. Pentagon spending is still half of the discretionary budget and basic fiscal accountability is still lacking.

We must work in a bipartisan way to reduce unnecessary Pentagon spending; stop waste, fraud and abuse; and ensure audit-readiness at the Pentagon.

As a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, I will work to pass a budget and spending bills that create good-paying jobs, support working families, promote environmental justice and healthy communities, invest in education and workforce training and provide ladders of opportunity into the middle class."

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