Rep. Ron Kind
The budget introduced this week by the administration of President Donald Trump has drawn criticism from Democrats representing Wisconsin in Washington, and measured support among Republicans.
House Speaker Paul Ryan of Janesville was pleased that the president’s proposal would balance the budget in ten years. That support was echoed by 6th District Republican congressman Glenn Grothman. “When Barack Obama was here, he submitted budgets for eight years, and he never had a path towards balancing the budget,” Grothman said.
A Wisconsin Democrat says President Donald Trump’s budget will devastate rural Wisconsin. “Rather than investing in rural America and rural communities, this budget is taking a shot at them, and basically saying ‘you’re on your own'” said Representative Ron Kind of La Crosse, who represents western Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District.
Kind said the Trump budget guts rural economic development grants, defunds rural broadband extension, and drastically underfunds operating loans for family farmers. Kind said the budget was “conveniently dropped” while the president was overseas, and that “his minions” have been stuck trying to defend it to Congress this week.
Rep. Glenn Grothman
Democrats say this Trump budget makes drastic cuts in programs for vulnerable Americans. Grothman doesn’t see that, but said “welfare programs are collectively too generous” in the U.S.
“There are people right now making decisions, both to not work very hard and not get married, because we penalize hard work and penalize marriage,” Grothman said. “Inosfar as Donald Trump takes those perverse incentives away I’m all for it.”