Texas Families lose with Far-Right Conservatives Reckless Slash-&-Burn Budget Tactics
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas Today a far-right faction of the Republican Party led by State Senator Dan Patrick (R-Houston) and State Representative Wayne Christian (R-Center) doubled down their support of an
extreme Republican agenda of irresponsible budget cuts that will hurt hardworking Texas families. In response Democratic leaders are fighting Republican attempts to inject partisan ideology into the budget process and to leave millions of Texans out on the streets without access to care.
Below is the response to
Senator Dan Patricks announcement of the formation of a Tea Party Caucus by State Representatives:
- Lon Burnam
- Joaquin Castro
- Jessica Farrar
- Pete Gallego and
- Mark Veasey
One of the first major policy ideas to emerge from this new conservative majority has been to significantly scale back Texas Medicaid.
Recently at his hometown Tea Party meeting Appropriations Chair Jim Pitts (R-Waxahachie) surprised even the most conservative members of the audience when he answered a man asking whether lawmakers planned to throw his friend out on the street".
Representative Pitts replied …If we have any savings on getting out of Medicaid we will have to throw some people out in the street."
According to the
Texas Health & Human Services Commission (HHSC) in the current biennium HHSC expects to spend $24.7 billion on Texas Medicaid. However $16.6 billion of that total or over 66 comes
from federal funds.
Below is the statement from Representatives Burnam Castro Farrar Gallego & Veasey:
If Republicans succeed in eliminating Texas Medicaid they will bring counties to the brink of bankruptcy shutter public hospitals urban and rural boot our parents and grandparents out of nursing homes and leave billions of our tax dollars in Washington to fund Medicaid programs in other states.
Facing a record budget shortfall after years of poor Republican budget management Texas cannot afford to lose over $16 billion in federal matching funds while starving our hospitals neglecting our elderly and disabled and turning our backs on our children."
Texans have too many urgent problems to entertain ideologically-driven proposals from the far-right. Families are concerned about improving the quality of our public schools and making college affordable for their children helping our small businesses create quality jobs and honoring our community of veterans.
While tough and thoughtful decisions are needed to meet the needs of all Texans who are feeling the weight of the recession a willful blindness to families experiencing financial hardship for the first time is not an acceptable solution."
extreme Republican agenda of irresponsible budget cuts that will hurt hardworking Texas families. In response Democratic leaders are fighting Republican attempts to inject partisan ideology into the budget process and to leave millions of Texans out on the streets without access to care.
Below is the response to Senator Dan Patricks announcement of the formation of a Tea Party Caucus by State Representatives:
