Democratic Party - Democratic National Committee

06/04/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/04/2025 17:09

Project 2025 “Chief Architect” Doubles Down on Trump’s Billionaire-First Budget Arrow

In response to Russ Vought's disastrous budget hearing today, DNC Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:

"Project 2025 'chief architect' Russ Vought headed to Capitol Hill to defend Donald Trump's billionaire-first budget that guts health care, food, and housing for hardworking families. Today, Vought reminded the American people that Project 2025 remains the centerpiece of Trump's dangerous agenda, and that Trump's budget is all about funding tax breaks to benefit the ultra-wealthy."

TODAY: Project 2025's "chief architect" Russ Vought doubled down on Donald Trump's "billionaire-first" budget, dodged accountability on cuts to Medicare, and refused to address plans to abolish the Department of Education.

Rep. Mark Pocan: "[Y]ou said the president supports the big bill passed out of the House. Correct? I think you also said the president doesn't support cutting Medicare."

Russ Vought: "Correct."

Rep. Pocan: "Ok, in the bill, there's a half-trillion dollar cut that gets triggered to Medicare. … You might want to take a look at that provision."

Rep. Pocan: "Project 2025, you are one of the authors, you're on the advisory board, you worked for Heritage, you are basically January, February, and March in a Project 2025 calendar. … Just tell me coincidence or not: in Project 2025, abolishing the Dept of Education. You guys are doing that. Is that a coincidence?"

Vought: *Dodges*

Trump put forth his devastating budget that would gut critical programs from health care to food assistance. Here's a look at how his budget would hurt Americans:

  • Cut $1.3 billion in food benefits for more than five million children and new families
  • Slash 43% in critical rental assistance programs, leaving millions of Americans without help to put a roof over their heads
  • Gut $2.7 billion in cancer research, ripping more than one-third of the National Cancer Institute's budget
  • Eliminate Homeland Security team focused on combating mass threats
  • Axe 25% of the Department of Labor's workforce
  • End programs that keep pesticides and toxic chemicals away from our families
  • Slash support for preschools and homeless children
  • Take money away from farmers

Breaking with longstanding precedent, Vought's office released a budget proposal that misses basic information and critical data.

Washington Post: "With little fanfare, the budget office released 1,224 pages that spell out its spending plans in detail, expanding on the abbreviated 'skinny budget' it unveiled this month. So far, though, the administration has addressed only the portion of federal outlays known as discretionary spending, which doesn't cover programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid that make up the bulk of the federal budget. …

"Several experts said they could not recall a time when the White House had gone so long without disclosing widely cited estimates about its economic forecast. Under a 1974 law, the president is required to submit a budget to Congress no later than the first Monday in February, although typically it arrives later during the first year of a presidential term."

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