MARCH 2011

 

In This Issue
Budget Cuts
Government Shutdown
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"The American people want a budget that is frugal, on their side and that brings stability to their lives... I am for cuts to programs that middle-class families don't depend on for their survival. The biggest cut I want to make is to the unemployment rate."

Sen. Barbara Mikulski


 

 
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Short-term Budgets Are No Way to Govern

    

On Thursday, March 17, I reluctantly voted in support of another short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) because I am absolutely against a government shutdown. Enough is enough. We are six months into the fiscal year and no closer to having a budget than the day we started

The American people want a budget that is frugal, on their side and that brings stability to their lives. Both parties must come together and agree to sensible budget cuts for the remainder of this year and then tackle the items that are responsible for adding to our deficit.

We cannot continue a cycle of cutting $2 billion every two weeks. That's no way to govern. Even though many of the cuts in the new CR are cuts that I agree with, short-term CRs are a government shutdown by proxy. I don't want a government shutdown. I'm fighting to prevent it. But we cannot fund the government with two- to three-week payments. It is bad for federal workers, contractors, families and the economy.

Senate Democrats have initiated cuts. First we cut $41 billion from the President's budget request. Then we offered to cut another $10 billion, for a total of $51 billion in cuts. But our offer was rejected. Republicans want to cut $100 billion. We met them halfway. But that wasn't good enough.

I am for cuts. The biggest cut I want to make is to the unemployment rate. Last week, I voted for Chairman Inouye's plan for $51 billion in cuts. In my own Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee bill, I've cut agency overhead by 10 percent.

I'm for making cuts to programs that middle-class families don't depend on for their survival. Let's end lavish subsidies for oil and gas companies to save $5 billion each year before we cut Head Start and Child Care by $1 billion. Let's stop the tax breaks for corporations that send jobs overseas to save $5 billion before we cut afterschool programs by $100 million. Let's stop subsidizing big agribusiness to save another $5 billion before we cut Pell Grants for middle-class kids by more than $600. And let's end the war, which costs $1.1 billion a week in Iraq and $2.5 billion a week in Afghanistan. Let's bring our troops, our jobs and our money home.

The uncertainty of these short-term CRs is bad for workers and contractors. One hundred and thirty thousand federal employees and thousands more contractors live and work in Maryland. These are some of the most dedicated, hardworking people in our nation. They make sure the food we eat is safe, find cures for the most devastating diseases, and make sure seniors get their checks every month. I support the mission of our government agencies. I support providing the money needed to carry out their mandates.

I support cuts. But cuts are not a strategy to reduce the deficit. Cuts are a tool, but they are not the only tool. We need a more thoughtful approach. We need a real strategy. We cannot continue to pass short-term spending bills. Both sides must come to agree on a long-term budget for remainder of fiscal year.

 

Useful Links
Mikulski Statement on Impact of cuts on Maryland (video)
Mikulski Statement on Impact of cuts on women and children (video)
National Women’s Law Center
Children’s Defense Fund
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

 Headstart 008

Senators Mikulski and Cardin visit a Head Start

classroom in Maryland

  

Congress Shouldn't Get Paid During a Government Shutdown

I'm vehemently opposed to shutting the government down.

A shutdown means federal employees are sent home without pay and told they're not "essential." But members of Congress and the President still get their paychecks.

Earlier this month, Senator Boxer and Senator Casey introduced a bill that stops members of Congress and the President from receiving their pay, or any retroactive pay, if the government shuts down. I voted for it, and I'm proud to say it passed.

If members of Congress want to be considered essential and get their paychecks, they better start acting that way and pass a budget for the rest of the year that doesn't include cuts that pummel families or kill jobs.


Useful Link
Information from the Congressional Research Service