DeLauro Fights for Middle Class Americans, Against Reckless Republican Cuts

Washington, DC – Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Ranking Member on the Labor, Health, and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, gave the following remarks of the floor of the United States House of Representatives during the debate on the Republican majority’s proposed Continuing Resolution.

I rise in opposition to this continuing resolution. Americans want us to work together to address their top priority, creating jobs, fostering economic recovery, and unfortunately the majority's priorities are deeply out of touch with those of the country.

Democrats are committed to reducing the deficit and we believe as taxpayers do that we should start by ending tax subsidies and special interest waste. We should be slashing oil company subsidies first. We must make programs accountable, end the ones that do not work, and we can no longer afford to continue the tax breaks for the top two percent of the country.

Republicans are in a reckless rush to slash without regard to the impact on our economy, the businesses who create jobs or the middle class and working families who are being responsible, doing the best for their families, and educating for the future. They are hitting ordinary, hardworking families with children, our young people trying to get an education, and the elderly. That is their starting point.

Under their budget, every student in America receiving a Pell grant, close to nine million people, will see their aid slashed by almost $850 a year. 1.3 million students will lose their Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants and thus the ability to pay for college. Their plan cuts more than 200,000 kids out of Head Start, kids who will forever lose the opportunity for an early childhood education. They cut aid to school districts and special education. They will cut 55,000 Head Start teachers and close down 16,000 Head Start classrooms.

As with education, so too with jobs. In the midst of a recession and the tough labor market, training and employment services, proven to work programs, are cut now by $5 billion. That means 8.4 million job seekers, flesh and blood human beings, could lose access to this aid completely.

In these tough economic times it is our low-income seniors who are the most vulnerable. This budget eliminates up to 10 million new meals delivered to the homebound elderly and cuts fuel assistance for them as well. It will force seniors to either go hungry or move into nursing homes. And others to have to choose whether to eat or to stay warm.

The challenge is not whether we address the deficit and spending or not. The question is where do we start to cut? Do we start with slashing ineffective programs and special interest waste like $40 billion in oil company subsidies, or do we start cutting those that help the middle class, our businesses, and working families with children and seniors?

Our job is to get this budget back to common sense, to create jobs, and to get this economy running again for the people of this nation. This continuing resolution offered by the republicans will do neither.