Congresswoman Waters Convenes L.A. Community Meeting on Budget Cuts

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-35) released the following statement today after convening a large community meeting with other elected officials, community leaders, members of the clergy, and organized labor, to bring Los Angelinos up to speed on budget cuts, negotiations, and the status of the government:

"Today, I held a large community meeting to answer questions and deal with the concerns of my constituents in the 35th district of California and other Los Angelinos who came to understand the confusing situation in Washington.

My constituents deserve information and facts about the ongoing negotiations between Democrats and Republicans on both the 2011 and 2012 budgets. H.R. 1, the Republican plan that passed the two months ago, included $61 billion in extreme cuts that have alarmed my community and millions of people around the country. These cuts include programs and services like Head Start, job training, after school programs, community health clinics, Community Development Block Grants, and housing for the elderly, the disabled, and low-income individuals, among others.

Yesterday, negotiators reached another short-term agreement that will keep the government open through mid-week, making $2 billion in cuts to programs within the Department of Transportation. Supposedly, negotiations will restart next week and a long-term agreement will be reached to fund the rest of Fiscal Year 2011.

The cuts that are being demanded by the Republicans are huge, and the budget cuts that are being offered in compromise by Democrats, I fear, will also be damaging and harmful to the many programs and services that people not only need but deserve to have from their government.

The state of affairs of the negotiations of the 2011 budget have created uncertainty and suspicion about government's role and commitment to quality of life issues for most people in this country. And in a matter of days, the same negotiations will start on the 2012 budget. The cuts being discussed for 2012 are even larger, and potentially more harmful and damaging. If negotiations around the 2011 budget are any indication, I have little confidence in a sensible 2012 budget.

Today, I shared up-to-date information with my constituents and alerted them to the ongoing budget deliberations. I was very pleased with the turnout, and with my constituents' desire to hear from their elected representatives. This information and event gave our constituents the opportunity to let their voices to be heard, to allow their concerns to be considered, and to open up dialogue with their federal and local legislators. I believe that this kind of event and information-sharing is the very least that can be done to ensure we continue to have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

I remain committed to staying on top of these negotiations and reporting to my constituents in real time about the state of the budget and the operations of the government.

Though the government remains open today, a further breakdown in negotiations, or the threat of a future shutdown, are not yet off the table."

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