Congresswoman Maxine Waters On Her Vote Against The Republican Debt Ceiling Package
Congresswoman Waters released the following statement after her vote in the House of Representatives yesterday against the Republican debt ceiling package (known as the Budget Control Act of 2011):
The debate on whether to raise the debt ceiling has been confusing to many Americans. I voted "no" on the bill that was debated in the House of Representatives on Monday. This bill, entitled the "Budget Control Act of 2011," was described by some as a compromise to avoid a historic default on the nation's debt commitments and a shutdown of the government on August 2nd.
However, this bill was a Tea Party-led and Tea Party-dominated piece of legislation that will immediately slash $917 billion in critical investments in our most crucial programs. Of this total, over $567 billion in cuts would come from "nondefense discretionary" programs such as education, housing assistance, community development and community service block grants (CDBG and CSBG), LIHEAP (home heating assistance in the winter months for the frail elderly and other vulnerable populations), food inspectors, air traffic control, border security, highway construction and repair, scientific research and development, clean energy, and health care research. The remaining $350 billion in cuts would come from defense and security programs.
However, that's not all of the cuts in this budget bill. There will be a second round of cuts made by a special committee consisting of 12 handpicked Members of Congress. The committee will meet largely in secret, and, by November, will need to come up with yet another $1.5 trillion in cuts over 10 years.
It is likely that all of these cuts will be made on the backs of the middle-class and the working poor. This special committee does not have a requirement to include revenue in their budget balancing, and there is no guarantee that Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will be protected from cuts. Additionally, Republican leaders have already said that they will refuse to raise taxes on the wealthy or close tax loopholes in this second phase of deficit reduction.
Congress will have to vote on the deficit reduction plan produced by this committee. If Congress does not approve the plan, $1.2 trillion in programs and services will be automatically cut, across-the-board.
While half of these automatic cuts would come from defense and security programs, the other half would be in the form of cuts to domestic programs. While Social Security, Medicaid, veterans programs, and civilian and military pay are supposedly exempted, there are many ways that these automatic cuts could change Medicare we know it. We already know that this plan would cut doctor and hospital reimbursements by 2 percent, and would drive medical professionals out of the business of providing health care to seniors and the most vulnerable in our society.
While I believe America must honor its obligations and pay its creditors, the provisions demanded by my Republican colleagues in exchange for an increase in the debt ceiling were totally unreasonable and will increase unemployment in an already weak economy that needs stimulating, rather than more policies that kill jobs.
The Republican plan does nothing to reduce unemployment, which is one of the primary drivers of our debt. It fails to consider revenue increases, including a repeal of the $2.8 trillion Bush tax cuts. It focuses its cuts on programs that serve children and working families. And there are no guarantees that the special committee would not ultimately reduce Social Security benefits, or limit access to or eligibility for Medicare or Medicaid.
An approach to deficit reduction that places the burden on seniors and the middle-class, while not requesting any sacrifice from special interests or wealthy Americans, is simply unacceptable. I believe we can and should pursue a more balanced approach to deficit reduction that better reflects America's priorities.
###