President Trump’s budget does nothing but abandon the hard working Americans and rural communities he promised to fight for, while providing tax breaks to the wealthy. This proposal stacks the deck against the most vulnerable Americans and cuts $3.6 trillion from critical investments in families, communities, and industries that will create the jobs of the future. This budget would slash Medicaid for working Americans and seniors, cut economic development for rural communities, and restrict access to affordable food for low-income families.

Joint Economic Committee Democrats released a new report today on the clean energy economy and its increasingly important role in the American economy. The clean energy economy encompasses energy generation through renewable sources and activities related to improving energy efficiency, building alternative fuel vehicles and constructing and operating the smart grid.

I am deeply disappointed that my Republican colleagues chose to invite a witness to testify who has questioned the intelligence of minorities and women. This is beyond offensive and out of touch. While the topic of social capital is important, giving someone like Mr. Murray a platform is irresponsible. We should instead have a productive discussion focused on making sure that all Americans have a fair shot at getting ahead.

Now, a group of congressional Democrats say they have a better solution for what ails the vast stretches of the country outside the cities and suburbs. Among other things, they oppose President Trump's plan to use public-private partnerships to carry out $1 trillion in infrastructure investment over a decade. "Wall Street investors and private equity firms are going to put money, time and resources where they can make a big profit," and that's not the countryside, Senator Martin Heinrich, the top Democrat on Congress's Joint Economic Committee, wrote in remarks prepared for the release of a report called Understanding Economic Challenges in Rural America.