As mentioned in an earlier diary from
FamiliesUSA.
Your phone calls are needed NOW to put an end to a nefarious budget cutting bill negotiated behind close doors in the wee hours of the weekend. The bill is so bad that the House had to hold the vote before dawn today and threaten to keep Congress in session through Christmas in order to squeak it through (212-206).
Now it's the Senate's turn and the vote will turn on a few key Senators: Coleman (R-MN), Specter (R-PA), Nelson (D-NE), DeWine (R-OH), Landrieu (D-LA) and possibly a few other "moderate" Republicans like Snowe (ME), Collins (ME), Chafee, and Voinovich (OH).
If you live in Ohio, Nebraska, Minnesota, or Pennsylvania it is critical that you call now - 1-800-828-0498 or 1-800-426-8073, ask for your Senator's office, and tell them to stop this shameful budget!
Details below the fold:
It's easy for this to get lost in the mess of all the other bad things that Republican leaders are trying to shove through at the last minute, but this is "meat and potatoes" stuff for liberals and progressives who believe in a positive role for government and a strong social safety net.
Here's a quick breakdown of what the bill would do:
Medicaid : Imposes new cost-sharing on low-income beneficiaries and reduces benefits. Simple translation - less healthcare for the most vulnerable in our nation, despite a record number of uninsured Americans.
Student Loans : Guts federal loan assistance. I don't have the latest estimates, but I think the House provisions are included in the final bill, which would cause students to have to pay an average of $5800 more for their loans.
Child Support : Reduces federal funding for child support enforcement which means that over $8 billion in collections will be lost over the next 10 years. This is money taken directly from struggling families. Child support is second only to the Earned Income Tax Credit in lifting children out of poverty.
Welfare (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families : Incorporates a BAD House bill that will case around 260,000 fewer children to receive child care assistance by 2010 and provides fewer supports for families trying to work their way out of poverty.
Foster Care : A bit technical, but essentially makes it harder for abused and neglected children to be placed with other family members (kinship care), such as grandparents. Now, there's some "family values" for you.
For the wonkier of you, more details are available at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
I just received word that because of some procedural issues, the vote may not happen until tomorrow, but that still leaves little time to weigh in. Please call all Republican Senators now, especially the ones listed above.
1-800-828-0498 or 1-800-426-8073 - The message is simple - Vote NO on the budget reconciliation bill.
I know this isn't as "sexy" as the ANWR and PATRIOT Act debates, but there are real people's lives on the line with these budget decisions. The way that this has been carried forward is a shameful abuse of power by Republicans leaders in Congress and they MUST be held accountable.
As Congressman Rangel (D-NY) says in the Washington Post:
"I don't know what the poor, the elderly, the disabled or our foster children have done to Republicans to deserve this. And I don't know why the Republicans would wait until the pre-dawn hours of the morning, just a few days before Christmas, to show just how mean-spirited they can be, but they've given us a clear view of Republican economics at work."
For all the talk about a "War on Christmas" what Congress is really doing is waging war on the most vulernable in our nation. Please call now! (and recommend if you are so inclined)