Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) joined with his House colleagues and non-profit leaders on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan to protest the imminent federal spending cuts to the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution, and the proposed drastic cuts to the FY 2012 budget.  The budget agreement scheduled to be voted on this week would slash over $38 billion from vital national programs, decimate funding for New York’s hardworking community organizations, cut jobs and services, and destabilize local neighborhoods during the ongoing recession. 

“The GOP budget proposed for FY 2012, and the FY 2011 cuts proposed in the current continuing resolution, are collections of the greatest hits for conservative goals over the last few decades.  They may present these under the veil of fiscal conservatism, but make no mistake, the Republicans do not want to balance the budget responsibly, they want to do it on the backs of low- to middle-income families, the elderly and the disabled,” said Congressman Engel.  “The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates show that the Republican budget will double Medicare beneficiary premiums and cost-sharing for seniors and persons with disabilities entering the program in 2022, and nearly triple those costs by 2030.  It slashes education and workforce development and protects Big Oil, billionaires and companies who outsource.  These are not policies and values I can support, and believe are not supported by most Americans.”

Among the hundreds of critical local programs that will be drastically cut are:

• Community Development Block Grants, which provide vital services to low and moderate-income families and communities across the city.  The grants fund career training, homeless shelters, assistance for victims of crimes, and help preserve affordable housing, among many other initiatives.
• Community Services Block Grants, which fight poverty, fund programs for youth, seniors, immigrants, and families, and spur community development.
• Workforce Investment Act, which provides job training and placement for tens of thousands of New Yorkers.
• Title Ifunding for Education for low-income kids.
• Head Start, which provides free childcare and educational programs for pre-school and kindergarten-aged kids.
• Child Care Development Block Grants, which provide childcare for low-income families.
• Women, Infants and Children(WIC), which provides food assistance, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income women, infants and children.
• Public Housing Capital Fund, which funds major capital needs for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

“The Republicans are on a quest to repeal the entire 20^th Century and return to a time where corporations ran roughshod over working families.  Our recovery is fragile right now, and at a time of unemployment slightly under 9%, why would we risk it by cutting workforce programs and taking money out of the hands of communities and hard-working Americans?  It makes no sense.  If Republicans want to have a real discussion about how to reduce the deficit – with everything on the table – I would be glad to have that debate and enact those reforms,” added Rep. Engel.

Also joining Rep. Engel, and the other House Democrats, were

·         The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty

·         Urban Justice Center

·         Hudson Guild

·         The Jewish Community Council of Greater Coney Island

·         Astella Development Corporation

·         Catholic Charities Community Services

·         New York State Tenants and Neighbors Coalition

·         Brooklyn Chinese-American Association

·         New York City Coalition Against Hunger

·         Goddard Riverside Community Center

·         Pa’lante Harlem

·         Children’s Aid Society

·         Harlem 4 Center for Change

·         YouthBuild East Harlem

·         The Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center

·         Alianza Dominicana

·         Community Healthcare Network

·         Center for Children’s Initiatives

·         American Association of Jews from the Former USSR

·         West Side Campaign Against Hunger

·         City Year

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