"What honest observer of government could disagree?"
"There is a difference between reform and just taking a hatchet to important social safety net programs."
"I think it is Orwellian to present a budget that tears a huge hole in the safety net as one that is, in fact, designed to strengthen support for vulnerable Americans."
"It ignores the advice of bipartisan commissions that say that any credible, responsible approach to reducing the deficit combines cuts."
"It means that their budget hits everyone and everything else harder. That is simple math."
"It is one designed to tell Americans that these social safety nets are not necessary because people choose these safety nets over getting a job."
"If our goal simply is to take a hatchet to part of the budget in order to meet certain targets while refusing to take a balanced approach, we cannot join in that effort."
"It does this by converting Medicaid into a block grant program that provides inadequate funding that fails to keep pace with the need."
"While today's hearing is titled 'Strengthening the Safety Net,' it is mostly an effort to sugarcoat a Republican budget that shreds the social safety net while providing gold-plated tax breaks to the ..."
"This week presents a very clear contrast in the priorities between Republicans and the Democrats in Congress."
"Let's put this hearing in context. The Republican budget takes a lopsided approach to addressing our deficit."
"the Republican budget refuses to eliminate one single tax break for the purpose of deficit reduction."