When You Hear “Deficit Reduction” Check the Bottom Line

Last week Congress spent hours debating a spending bill House Republicans put forward to continue funding the government. Right up until the final vote at 4:40 a.m. Saturday morning, they claimed it was in the name of deficit reduction. Unfortunately, it’s just the opposite when they pile on additional legislation that actually costs money.

Aimlessly hacking away at the budget threatens our seniors, our students, our middle class and our national security.  Simply put, their budget cuts threaten the future of millions of Americans, without actually reducing the deficit in the long run.

For Americans to prosper, we must strike the appropriate balance regarding budget cuts and keeping our families safe and healthy. Clearly, attempting to balance our budget on the backs of students, the sick, seniors and the poor is neither ethical, nor is it the way for America to remain competitive in a global marketplace.

A great example is Pell Grants where they cut funds for 9.4 million college students. As a result roughly 400 Florida college students will have to drop out of college this year and each successive year after that with these cuts.  We put forward an alternative that restored $39 million for Pell Grants, fully paid for by reducing costs and salaries at the Dept. of Education to 2008 levels.  They voted our bill down.

Slashing education funding will leave the U.S. lagging behind its global competitors. Under their spending bill, more than 200,000 children will be kicked out of Head Start programs and thousands of teachers will lose their jobs. Their “my way or the highway” attitude hurts real people –our kids, seniors, YOU.

Unfortunately, even as they cut resources for students, seniors, port and border security funds and even cancer research, the Republicans aren’t reducing the deficit.

Instead, they’re proposing more than $1 trillion in additional expenses over the next ten years alone through the repeal of health care reform ($230 billion/ten years) and extension of the Bush tax cuts for the top 2% of Americans and the estate tax ($800 billion/ten years).  That just doesn’t make sense.

I will work across the aisle to root out wasteful spending, but not at the expense of good jobs, a strong middle class, and a growing economy for the American people.