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Bustos, LaHood React To President Trump's FY2021 Budget Proposal

Budget document
J. Scott Applewhite
/
AP
President Donald Trump's budget request for fiscal year 2021 arrives at the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020.

Members of Peoria's congressional delegation have mixed reactions to President Trump's $4.8 trillion budget request for next fiscal year.

Credit Cheri Bustos Congressional Office
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Cheri Bustos Congressional Office
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Moline)

The FY2021 plan calls for more than a trillion dollars in spending cuts.

U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, a Democrat from Moline, said it fails Illinoisans.

Bustos said she's especially concerned about a $900 billion cut to Medicaid spending over 10 years, which she said would cost millions of people access to healthcare.

The Democrat said there are additional threats to rural farming communities.

"It cuts $25 billion from crop insurance and when you have 9,600 family farms in our region, that's unacceptable -- especially at this time of uncertainty for our family farmers, anyway," Bustos said.

The proposal also cuts funding for rural broadband by more than $300 million and reduces payments to rural health clinics by $1.7 billion.

Bustos said 85% of towns in the region have populations of 5,000 or less. She said these communities don't have the tax base to make up the difference on their own.

Credit Darin LaHood Congressional Office
U.S. Darin LaHood (R-Peoria)

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, a Republican from Peoria, said the budget proposal "takes a serious approach to reducing our deficit."

"As out of control spending and interest on debt only grows, difficult decisions will have to be made," LaHood said in an email statement. "However, I want to ensure Illinois agriculture and our rural communities are not left behind, as I have advocated for in each annual appropriations process."

The Republican said he's pleased to see the proposal provides funding for the USDA Peoria Ag Lab and prioritizes national security.

The budget blueprint now awaits congressional approval.

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Dana Vollmer is a reporter with WGLT. Dana previously covered the state Capitol for NPR Illinois and Peoria for WCBU.