Central New York Rep. John Mannion (D-Geddes) is back in Washington this week, as Congress returns from its July 4 break, and the freshman Democrat expects fallout to continue from the massive spending and tax bill signed by President Trump.
Mannion voted against the mammoth package that encompasses much of President Trump’s second-term agenda. His criticism mirrors the concerns of most Democrats about the legislation, such as an increased deficit, and impacts of cuts to programs like Medicaid and benefits to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
He said he expects lawmakers to look more closely at ways to ease the impact.
“This is where the challenge is. This is the budget, Mannion said. “So within that process, it's ‘where are we going to shift some of these dollars when they're appropriated to try to help certain folks’. You know, I've got a lot to say about it."
Mannion said he has four points he says he will focus on. First, the spending that will add $3.4 trillion to the debt in the next ten years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. He said he will also focus on cuts to Medicaid, cuts to SNAP benefits, and emphasizing tax cuts to the wealthy. He also said he’ll continue to pin the legislation to Republicans who voted for it.
“It's one thing to be held accountable at the ballot box,” he said. “It's more the accountability of the people that they serve and the lack of services and resources that are gonna happen. Not right away, but in a couple years or four years.”
Mannion also said the potential growth in the nation’s debt could be devastating.
"It's not just 3.7 trillion worth of debt,” he said. “We're still adding $2 trillion with the budget we already have, and this just makes it $3.7 trillion worse. So, in ten years, we're talking about adding upwards of $25 trillion to the debt."
Going forward, Mannion, a former teacher, said he’ll also continue his fight on the education front on various issues.
“Some things that I think are really short-sighted, like cuts to the grad plus loans program, individuals being capped at the amount that they can borrow,” he said. “So it limits those who can seek an advanced degree. It’s not just they don’t have the money, they can’t borrow the money to do it.”
Returning to Washington also means advocating for the community-funded projects that are part of the legislation.
“They're not set in stone, it's not 100% that that's going to happen, but through the various committees, there will be a selection of these community-funded projects,” Mannion said. “And we are advocating for those and they really have to do largely with our infrastructure and public safety.”
