White House says Kevin McCarthy's budget would 'give asthma to our children'
The amped up its attacks on House Speaker 's budget Friday as it moves toward a floor vote calling it a risk to health and environmental programs and would 'poison the lungs of our children.' It was just the latest attack on an emerging budget document set to get a key House vote next week, amid a standoff over raising the nation's $31 trillion debt limit and House Republicans' demands for cuts. White House Press Secretary said the plan put forward by the House Budget Committee amounted to 'holding our economy hostage' that she said would 'kill jobs, fill our cities with smog, and give asthma to our children.' She called it a 'ransom note,' due to the 's plan to tie an increase in the statutory debt limit to spending cuts across government. She noted it would repeal last year's Inflation Reduction Act's green energy tax credit The proposal would repeal the inflation Reduction Act green energy tax credit, 'sending thousands of jobs back to China,' she said. 'It would make it easier for oil companies to use toxic chemicals that cause severe burns, damage people's eyes and quite literally melt bones,' said Jean-Pierre She said it would bring a 'severely weakened the Clean Air Act, sending us back to the times and cities across the country filled with heavy smog that dirties our air air and poisons the lungs of our children. Her comments came on a day when Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to incorporate 'environmental justice' into their actions. 'Imagine turning your back on all those moms and dads living in towns poisoned by pollution and telling them sorry, you're on your own. We can't let that happen,' Biden said. The House GOP budget, dubbed the 'Limit, Save, Grow Act,' would slash $4.5 trillion in spending, while raising the debt limit by $1.5 trillion. It would limit spending increases to 1 per cent each year, well below inflation. It also would eliminate programs from the $740 billion IRA dealing with climate change, including rebates for efficient appliances, while boosting oil and gas leasing on federal lands.