House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) called the Trump administration's federal budget proposal "stupid" and a "slap in the face of the future" on Thursday, arguing that spending on education, which the proposal cuts, reduces the federal deficit more than anything else.
Pelosi held a press conference on President Trump's budget plan, which she castigated for cutting the Department of Education's funding by 13.5 percent, or $9.2 billion. She rebuffed the idea that reducing the deficit should come through cuts to education, calling it "stupid."
"Remember this: Nothing brings more money to the Treasury than investment in education," Pelosi said. "So when the Republicans say, 'We need to reduce the deficit, and therefore we must cut education,' that is a stupid economy."
"Again, nothing brings more money to the Treasury to reduce the deficit than the education of the American people, she added.
Pelosi later suggested America's "mission is about the future" and "demands that we invest" in health, education, and the well-being of American families.
"This budget is really a slap in the face of the future," Pelosi told reporters after expressing hope for good will on St. Patrick's Day.
