Tim Ryan's email to me

1126 Longworth Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-5261 202-225-3719 FAX Tim Ryan Congress of the United States 13th District, Ohio Committee on Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee April 3, 2017 Dear Ms. Defago: Thank you for contacting me to share your thoughts on the Fiscal Year 2018 Budget.  As a Member of Congress, one of my key duties is to promote accountability in the budget, avoid unnecessary spending, and be a good steward of your tax dollars.  At the same time, attempts to address our national debt through the budget and appropriations process must be carried out with careful consideration of our critical needs, economic outlook, and program effectiveness.  I value your input on this important issue, and I appreciate the opportunity to respond. As you know, President Trump recently announced his intention to increase military spending by $54 billion in his Fiscal Year 2018 Budget, while cutting the same amount from non-defense discretionary spending.  This budget slashes the State Department budget by 37 percent, gutting foreign aid and diplomacy programs.  It cuts funding for the Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative by 97 percent.  It eliminates COPS and Violence Against Women Act grants at the Justice Department.  It also guts the FEMA, Coast Guard, and TSA budgets to make funding available for the border wall.  President Trump claims his budget will promote public safety and national security.  Instead, it recklessly and irresponsibly puts our most critical federal departments on the chopping block, while zeroing out beloved programs like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through my position on the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue to prioritize the rights of American workers, the health of our seniors, and the education of our children through responsible, bipartisan solutions to our most challenging fiscal problems.  Rest assured I will not stand idly by as a budget is crafted that hurts the American People.  Thank you again for your correspondence. Sincerely,  Tim Ryan Member of Congress MH:sf 197 West Market Street Warren, OH 44481 330-373-0074 330-373-0098 FAX 241 Federal Plaza West Youngstown, OH 44503 330-740-0193 330-740-0182 FAX 1030 East Tallmadge Ave. Akron, OH 44310 330-630-7311 330-630-7314 FAX