Vermont Business Magazine Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), Monday issued the following statement after President Joe Biden released his fiscal year 2023 federal budget proposal:
I thank the President for submitting his budget proposal to Congress and I look forward to reviewing it closely. At a time when corporations are making obscene profits by charging outrageously high prices for gas, food and rent, we need a budget that takes on the unprecedented corporate greed that is taking place in America today by enacting a windfall profits tax and preventing corporations from ripping off working families.
At a time when over 700 billionaires in America became nearly $2 trillion richer during the pandemic while tens of millions continue to struggle, we need a budget that demands that the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share of taxes and substantially improves the lives of working families with children, the elderly, the sick and the poor.
At a time when we are dealing with a climate emergency, we need a budget that creates millions of good-paying jobs transforming our energy system away from fossil fuel and towards energy efficiency and renewable energy.
At a time when we are already spending more on the military than the next 11 countries combined, no we do not need a massive increase in the defense budget.
Now that the President has done his job, it is up to Congress to review it, pass the proposals that make sense and improve upon it. As the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, I will be doing everything I can to pass a strong and robust budget reconciliation bill that works for working families, not the top 1 percent. To begin that process, the Senate Budget Committee will be holding a hearing on the President's budget at 11 a.m. this Wednesday.
CNBC: Biden’s 2023 budget would hike taxes on the ultra-rich and corporations, boost defense spending
Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont)
Earlier this month, President Biden laid out his vision for our country at the State of the Union by prioritizing investments in education, health care, growing the workforce, and building our economy from the bottom up and the middle out, not from the top down. He rejected isolationism, and called for rebuilding partnerships with foreign allies and partners and projecting U.S. global leadership consistent with our values. Today’s budget is a reflection of those priorities. It makes investments in supporting our communities, addressing the climate crisis, combating COVID and preparing for future pandemics, caring for our veterans, and provides the funding for the defense, diplomacy, and humanitarian aid that are needed to address Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the abuses of other authoritarian regimes.
In the coming weeks, it is essential that Congress, on a bipartisan and bicameral basis, work with the President to negotiate budget toplines so that we can commence the appropriations process for the fiscal year that begins on October 1. I look forward to working with the President, Vice Chairman Shelby, Chair DeLauro, and Ranking Member Granger to realize these needed investments in the American people.
