The Republican Reconciliation Bill – Like Their Budget – Makes the Wrong Choices for America

May 10, 2012

 

House Republicans already passed a budget that gives massive tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, Big Oil, and companies that ship jobs overseas, while ending the Medicare guarantee, slashing strategic investments, and shredding our social safety net.  Their plan for reconciliation and the Budget Control Act (BCA) sequester is just more of the same. 

The Republican plan protects tax breaks for millionaires by cutting Medicare for seniors, health care for kids, food and nutrition assistance for struggling families, and vital safety net programs.

  • Keeps in place the 2 percent cut to Medicare that is under the "Sword of Damocles" in the BCA sequester.
  • Eliminates health care coverage for at least 300,000 kids on the Children's Health Insurance Program.
  • Reduces food and nutrition assistance to every household receiving SNAP benefits almost immediately – and over 20 million beneficiaries are kids.  
  • Denies nearly 300,000 children school meals, on top of losing the benefits that provide food at home.
  • Zeroes out the Social Services Block Grant, which helps 23 million children, seniors, and people with disabilities become self‐sufficient and economically independent.
    • This funds programs like Meals on Wheels, prevention of child abuse, and child care for working parents.   
  • Repeals the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which supports things like cancer screenings for women and immunizations.
    • 326,000 women would not get the breast cancer screenings and 284,000 women would not get the cervical cancer screenings they are slated to receive in FY 2013.

By contrast, Democrats have offered a fair and balanced approach.

  • Democrats proposed to replace the sequester with a responsible combination of cuts to agriculture subsidies and revenues raised by cutting taxpayer subsidies for Big Oil and asking millionaires to share greater responsibility in reducing the deficit.   
  • Not only did Republicans not support that plan, they blocked it from having a vote on the House Floor and showed total disdain for the American voter and the democratic process.
  • It presented Republicans with a fundamental question – are they more interested in protecting tax breaks for millionaires than protecting spending for our national security?  Republicans talk big about defense, but they just don't want to pay for it.

Democrats support a balanced approach that creates jobs, expands opportunity, reduces the deficit, and protects the health and economic security of America's families—and will continue to stand up against these dangerous GOP attacks.