Collins, NY senators react to Obama’s budget proposal

President Barack Obama unveiled a $3.99 trillion budget proposal today that would lift the automatic spending caps imposed in 2013. The spending plan is drawing mixed reaction in Congress.

“Old habits die hard,” said Congressman Chris Collins, R-Clarence. “Just three years ago, President Obama agreed to budget levels that address our nation’s spending addiction and ballooning deficit. Now, he’s abandoned that promise and proposed a 7 percent spending increase.

“Rather than promote pro-growth policies that create a favorable environment for job creation, the president’s budget looks to spend our way to economic growth. This flawed approach will only increase the deficit and worsen the financial burden on our children and grandchildren. Families across the country are being forced to make hard decisions to live within their means. It’s time President Obama learned to do the same.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, issued this statement through his Twitter account.

“President’s budget invests in smart programs that grow the middle class while making smart cuts. It should be a blueprint for both parties,” Schumer said. “If GOP takes this budget & sticks it in a drawer, they’ll prove they’re more interested in helping special interests than the middle class.”

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, issued the following statement on the President’s budget:

“The President’s budget is not just a starting point for discussions with Congress, it is fundamentally a statement of values,” Gillibrand said. “With his proposal, the President rightly makes the growth of the middle class a priority and focuses on addressing the challenges working families across the country face. On issues like paid family leave, affordable child care and early childhood education, the President’s budget provides an important first step toward fair economic policies that will strengthen our workforce and economy. I believe we can and must go farther, and will reintroduce the FAMILY Act to ensure that working Americans, no matter where they live, have access to paid leave.”

Gillibrand also praised Obama for including $31 million more for addressing sexual assaults on college campuses.

In November, Gillibrand led a coalition of senators in urging the President to request additional funding for Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to hire and train staff focused on sexual assault cases. The investment will help provide for adequate investigations and enforcement of Title IX related to campus sexual violence on colleges and universities across the country, Gillibrand said.

“I also want to applaud the President’s addition of $31 million for the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which is responsible for addressing campus sexual assault complaints,” Gillibrand said. “The ability to hire and train new staff focused on sexual violence is part of the comprehensive reform that survivors and advocates have urged us to adopt.”