Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) issued the following statement after the Republican House Majority passed their massive cuts to the FY 2011 Appropriations bill funding the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year.  This will set the stage for a potential government shutdown when the current temporary funding measure expires on March 4. 

“The Republican Party’s mascot may be an elephant, but the House Republicans certainly have a very short memory.  We had this debate back in 1995 when they last brought about a government shutdown.  Now, we are going down the same road.  This could have been a real discussion about addressing the deficit in a bipartisan fashion.  Instead, we have had a three-ring circus of amendments leading to a laundry list of Republican social goals being satisfied.

“The Republican Majority have failed to provide a ‘laser-like’ focus on jobs, and are more interested in political theater.  They are in opposition to women’s health, children’s programming, clean water, food safety, aid to states and municipalities, local infrastructure, business development, and the well-being of low-income families and senior citizens.

“This budget strips funding for children’s programs broadcast by PBS.  It defunds the Affordable Care Act to denying insurance coverage for children with pre-existing conditions, young adults up to age 26, pregnant women, breast and prostate cancer patients, while increasing costs for seniors’ prescription drugs.    It increases taxes on many small businesses– because the tax credits for millions of small businesses that choose to offer coverage to their employees would stop being implemented.  It completes the Republican plan to destroy Planned Parenthood and thus seriously putting many American women’s lives at great risk. 

“The list is endless, and yet once all is said and done, it makes barely a dent in the debt.   They have tried to take away funding from pregnant women, seniors and children, while they succeeded in extending tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans last year.  Eliminating those breaks would have made a far greater impact on solving the debt crisis than taking Big Bird away from pre-schoolers.

“In 1995, over 800,000 federal employees were unable to report to work.  New patients were turned away from the National Institutes of Health.  Delinquent child-support cases were delayed.  National parks and museums were closed leading to loss of tourism and revenues across the nation.  Hundreds of thousands of passport applications went unprocessed.  Services to veterans were curtailed.   Prolonged shutdowns could affect Social Security payments, Medicare reimbursements, unemployment insurance, and constituent services for Congressional offices.

“I am still hopeful that we can put aside the rhetoric and come together – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – from the House, Senate and White House, to really put together a funding bill which is fair, equitable and beneficial to the American people.  We should not cut a gaping hole in the social safety net for our most disadvantaged, or greatly restrict programs beneficial to the middle class.”

“Instead of working towards a solution, based upon the past week of budget debate, the following would take place in New York alone:

·         K-12 Education - $123 million lost in Title I Grants, Even Start, Special Education Grants and School improvements

·         Pell Grants - $406 million lost affecting 584,000 students

·         Workforce Investment Act Job Training - $78 million lost, affecting over 183,000 people taking part in Adult Services, Dislocated Workers programs and Youth Services

·         Mental Health and Substance Abuse Block Grants – over $2 million removed from helping people overcome afflictions.

·         Public Housing - $200 million lost for Public Housing Capital Fund, HOME Investment Partnership Program and Native American/Native Hawaiian Housing Grants

·         Clean Water/Clean Drinking Water - $188 million lost to help keep New York’s water clean

·         Community Development - $235 million lost for Community Development Block Grants.

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