In Budget that Will Hurt Millions of Everyday Americans, Republicans Show Who They’re Working For

Dēmos president Taifa Smith Butler released the following statement following President Trump’s signing of the budget reconciliation bill:

“Let’s be clear: this bill will have a catastrophic impact on working families. Those cuts to lifesaving safety net programs and critical infrastructure, are not meant to improve the lives of everyday Americans, but instead to subsidize tax giveaways for the wealthiest elite. This is a pay-to-play system in action, and this administration has made it clear who they are working for.  

“Harmful as it is, this bill’s passage cannot be seen in a vacuum. It comes against a backdrop of daunting, existential challenges for our young democracy. Republicans in Congress and their allies in the courts have made it a point to dismantle the long-held democratic norms that underpinned the promise of a shared, equal future.  They are brazenly proposing - and passing - legislation specifically intended to undo the work of the Civil Rights Movement and further silence the political voice of communities of color.  

“Their work to silence our communities centers corporate power and the voices of the wealthy elite, threatening the health of our economy, our democracy, and our people. This will harm the futures of the population at large, especially Black and brown communities. Our democracy and economy are inextricably linked. Trampling on one weakens the other. Bold-faced, direct attacks on both, as we have seen from this administration and Congress, put prosperity and democracy frighteningly out of reach for too many.  

“We cannot stand by as policies that hurt working families–especially Black and brown communities–become law. We must continue to expose this rigged system and channel our outrage into solutions that serve working people, not wealthy donors. We must hold to the idea that justice—indeed, the dreams of equality and shared prosperity held by those who came before us—is a stronger motivator than fear.”