By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) slammed President Trump’s FY 2026 “skinny budget” blueprint, calling it devastating for upstate New York and harmful to working families across the country.
But House Republicans say Democrats are exaggerating.
The President’s so-called “skinny budget” is an outline of the administration’s priorities for the next fiscal year. It gives Republican lawmakers a blueprint as they begin crafting spending bills.
Sen. Schumer calls it a dagger to the heart of upstate New York.
“The White House calls this their so-called skinny budget. But I have to say, it’s a fat slap in the face to upstate New York,” said Leader Schumer. “It’s an all-out assault on upstate New York families, a gut punch to our local governments, who lose billions in funding under this plan.”
Today, Senator Chuck Schumer blasted President Trump’s budget plan, warning it would slash critical programs New Yorkers rely on.
“It completely eliminates LIHEAP, the federal program that helps seniors and families pay for their heating and cooling bills,” said Schumer.
The cuts don’t stop there. Schumer says the budget would gut $2.5 billion dollars from clean water programs and lead pipe removal efforts.
“We have some of the oldest water infrastructure in the country, and we saw the tide finally turn when we passed the Infrastructure Law, the lead pipes were being replaced. All that progress would now come to a halt,” said Schumer. “It would put the cost back on municipalities, meaning local taxpayers would have to pay the price for clean water.”
The Senate Minority Leader also warned that similar cuts will impact opioid treatment as well as cancer and other medical research in the Empire State.
“It would devastate the opioid crisis by taking over $1 billion in funding for local communities to boost addiction treatment via the SAMHSA grants,” said Schumer. “Taking away this is cruel. Overdose deaths are down in many places, we’ve been making progress,” he added.
Republicans say ongoing claims about cuts to vital programs and services are purely political.
“It’s scare tactics, and it’s basically Democrat Politics 101: lie, scare seniors and try to derail your opposition in doing so,” said Rep. Nick Langworthy (R-NY).
As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Langworthy helps oversee Medicaid policy and funding — a program Democrats warn will see big cuts.
“There’re some members here that want deep cuts into Medicaid, that I don’t subscribe to. President Trump has been crystal clear — we’ve got to preserve Medicaid. We have to take care of it for the people that need the program,” said Langworthy. “I’m working hard to preserve Medicaid for those that need it the most. This program was created for pregnant women, children, the impoverished elderly and those under the poverty line at 100%.”
“We have to make sure that program is solid as a rock and preserved for that statutory requirement,” said Langworthy. “We’re running out of money, and the whole system’s going to collapse if we do nothing.”
Although moving quickly, the budget process is still in its early stages. Weeks of budget negotiations lie ahead and many compromises are likely to be made by both sides.
“We also have to be able to get 218 votes on anything that we want to pass. It also has to be able to pass through the U.S. Senate and be something that President Trump agrees to,” said Langworthy.
The President’s so-called skinny budget also calls for cuts at the State Department, the IRS and the Pentagon. Some Republicans have objections to the President’s blueprint, citing concerns over the low level of defense spending and cuts to crucial energy programs like LIHEAP.
