WATCH: State Financial Leaders Urge Congress To Reject “Profoundly Cruel” and “Economically Devastating” Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, as Republican leadership in Congress prepares a major budget bill that threatens to push American families deeper into an affordability crisis, state financial leaders from across the country joined Americans for Responsible Growth to expose the Republican budget agenda that slashes essential services that millions of Americans depend on daily.

On the call, speakers—including Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs, Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, Washington Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti, and Colorado Treasurer Dave Young—emphasized how Republican lawmakers' move to cut $1 trillion from essential programs like Medicaid, free and reduced-cost school lunches and SNAP will strip away vital support that helps families afford the most basic necessities like food and health care. 

With Americans already facing rising grocery costs, inflationary tariffs, and cuts to food banks, state financial leaders like those on today’s call are urging Congress to prioritize their constituents' basic needs and right to dignity, rather than sacrificing vulnerable Americans to fund corporate tax breaks. Here’s what they had to say about how Republicans’ reckless and deeply unpopular budget proposal will hurt American families, businesses, and economic growth:

State Treasurer Michael Frerichs (IL):

• “Trump and his cronies in the House are eyeing your health care—and that of your parents, your children, your friends and your neighbors. House Republicans are executing the play Trump called for running up the score on regular Americans by slashing health care so he can hand off his beloved tax cuts to the ultra wealthy.”

• “Millions of Americans will lose access to health care, hundreds of thousands of them here in Illinois—and if they can go to the doctor, they can expect to pay even more. Once again, Trump and Speaker Johnson will rob the poor to enrich the rich.”

State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg (MA):

• “When Washington scales back its commitments, it limits not only our state's potential, but the country’s.”

• “I really feel strongly that we need Congress to reconsider this budget and to start thinking proactively about what makes America tick. [...] Working families are going to suffer the most, and our state is going to be very negatively impacted. These are not abstract figures, they are personal—and these policies are going to affect every single family in this state.”

Controller Chris Hollins (Houston):

• “We need a budget that invests in people, not one that invests in perks for the powerful. We need a budget that feeds children, one that cares for the sick, one that creates opportunity, and one that ensures that no senior has to wonder where their next meal is coming from. Anything less than this is not leadership, it's abandonment—and it's time that Congress chooses a side. Today, we're calling on them to stand with hard working American families.”

State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti (WA):

• “It's great to stand with my colleagues today to defend the important services provided by our federal government from a Republican budget proposal that would continue the trajectory of wealth distribution to the already wealthy. This proposed budget would not put America first, but puts America last.”

• “The programs and services being targeted in budget talks are essential for Americans—like health care, food assistance, and retirement—would be a massive loss of domestic investment. When you look at the totality of the impact from tariffs, executive action, and the proposed budget, we have a combination that will liquidate needed services for middle- and low-income families to free up cash for the wealthiest Americans to invest in foreign economies. These reckless federal economic policies and budget tactics risk a dramatic impact that simply isn't worth risking. We'll see costs rise, an increased burden on the middle class, and a gutting of services precisely when Americans would need them most.”

State Treasurer Dave Young (CO):

• “When we look at the President's budget, it's clear what he values: billionaires and corporations over hardworking families. If the president gets his way, the wealthiest Americans will receive a historic tax break, while millions of vulnerable Americans will have the safety net ripped out from underneath them. Not only is this profoundly cruel, it's economically devastating.”

• “My sister Dorothy is cognitively and physically disabled. She is one of the 1.2 million Coloradans who rely on Medicaid for life-sustaining care. Sadly, I know what it's like for a loved one to lose care. My sister spent months on the street when a cash-strapped Colorado reduced benefits over 20 years ago. It was a gut-wrenching experience that no one should have to go through, let alone one of the state's most vulnerable people. [...] Instead of proposing targeted solutions, President Trump has taken a sledgehammer to bedrock programs that people like my sister Dorothy depend on every day.”

• “President Trump's budget provides a clear statement: He has and will continue to put billionaires over working families. The plan actively robs critical funding for seniors, disabled people and children to subsidize the extravagant lifestyles of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. This budget betrays our Americans values, and it should be soundly and swiftly rejected by Congress.”

To book an interview with Americans for Responsible Growth Executive Director Dave Wallack or connect with one of the state financial leaders who signed onto today’s letter, please email Ryan Thomas at press@focalpointstrategygroup.com.