As all eyes remain riveted on the mounting crises at the White House, today's news and talk has been dominated by the implications of the Libby indictment, a looming avian flu pandemic and the nomination of the far-right Judge Alito. Unfortunately, the list of scandals and missteps goes on and on. The House Budget Committee is counting on these issues to distract us from their consideration of a disastrous spending reconciliation bill that cuts key services for those who need it most -- including Medicaid, student loans, child support, and food stamps.
The American public needs to understand the damage these cuts would inflict on our economy and our country's most vulnerable. I encourage you to read the details and the full list of cuts by following this link.
<http://www.democraticleader.house.gov/pdf/RECONCILIATION.pdf>
The House Republicans propose reducing Medicaid spending by $11.9 billion -- cutting overall benefits, increasing premiums for the needy, and limiting seniors' access to long-term care.
Federal student loan funding would be reduced by $14.3 billion over five years, at a time when the cost of a college education is rising faster than inflation and the importance of higher education has never been greater. Student loans are the only way that most students can hope to afford the training and education necessary to compete in today's global economy.
This bill would also cut $4.9 billion from child support enforcement programs over the next five years, crippling the effectiveness of states to collect child support and dooming even more children to live in poverty. Additionally, it imposes a cut of $844 million to food stamps at a time when the number of people living below the poverty line is rapidly increasing.
Cutting funding for programs that affect the middle class and those living below poverty, while preserving tax breaks for the very rich is neither fiscally nor morally responsible. The bottom line is that these spending cuts offset the Republicans' $70 billion in tax cuts for the wealthy -- not hurricane costs or deficit reduction.
It's time to contact your Congressional representatives and let them know that these programs are too essential for America's growth to be cut. Deliberations are expected to begin on the floor of the House next week. The Republicans are hoping they can pass these controversial cuts while we're all focused on their endless scandals - we must ensure that cannot happen.