The Senate on Friday passed a budget that envisions more than $5 trillion in cuts over the coming decade by slashing health care and other benefits for working families and the middle class while leaving tax breaks in place for the wealthiest Americans and multi-national corporations. “What they are proposing is to cut programs for some of the most vulnerable people in this country — the elderly, children, sick and low-income people,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. “At the same time they want to give significant tax breaks to the wealthy and the large corporations.” During the week-long debate, Republicans rejected proposals to put Americans back to work, raise the minimum wage, help students afford college, and protect seniors on Social Security and Medicare.

Republican Budget Axe

Sanders led the opposition to the Republican budget proposal during a week-long debate. He summed up the Republican plan during the floor debate. “We’ll make it harder for kids to go to college, we’ll throw people off health insurance, but we will not ask the rich and powerful to pay more in taxes,” he said. “Their intention is to balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor.”

Rebuild America The Senate earlier in the week blocked another Sanders amendment that would have encouraged a major investment in roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects and, in the process, support millions of construction jobs. Fifty-two Senate Republicans voted against that proposal.

Raise the Minimum Wage Senate Republicans blocked a Sanders amendment calling for an increase in the minimum wage. “Since 1968, the real value of the federal minimum wage has fallen by close to 30 percent,” Sanders said before the vote. “Let us stand today with the tens of millions of workers who are struggling to put food on the table, to take care of their families. Let us raise the minimum wage." Sanders wants the federal minimum wage to go from the current $7.25 an hour to at least $10.10 an hour and eventually to $15 an hour.

No More Credit-Card Wars An amendment from Sen. Marco Rubio would have increased military funding above caps Congress imposed on itself in 2011without offsetting cuts. Sanders told Rubio his measure undermined the Republicans’ avowed desire to reduce the federal budget deficit. "Enough is enough, if you want to go to war, start paying for it,” Sanders said.

Climate Change is Real A Sanders amendment was offered during the debate that would have recognized the reality of global climate change. It said climate change is real and caused by humans. Five Republicans voted for it, but that wasn’t enough to adopt the amendment.

Equal Pay for Women Also falling on similar nearly party-line votes were proposals to protect women in the workplace by ensuring equal pay for equal work.

Help for College Students An amendment that called for reducing student debt by allowing borrowers with existing federal and private student loans to refinance their loans at lower interest rates was rejected by Republicans.

Seniors Republicans defeated an amendment to shield Medicare from attempts to privatize the health care program for seniors and also blocked proposal to thwart Republican efforts to cut Social Security.