The Honorable Donna F. Edwards
Stop the Sequester
February 26, 2013
Mr. Speaker, on this coming Friday, March 1, we are going to see budget cuts that will devastate Federal workers, programs, agencies, and private sector contractors. This pending $85 billion in cuts for this fiscal year alone was intended to be so bad, just so horrible, and cause such widespread damage that they were never intended to take effect in the first place. Yet here we are with another self-inflicted wound as House Republicans continue to ignore Democrats’ requests to find a sensible alternative.
In Maryland alone, sequestration will hurt families, including 800 children who will lose access to school readiness programs; 2,100 fewer children receiving lifesaving vaccinations; 12,000 mothers and young children cut from Women, Infants, and Children programs; and 46,000 civilian private sector workers are going to be furloughed. And the list goes on in Maryland and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, make no mistake, the GOP, the Republicans rule the roost here in the House, and they can stop these senseless cuts today. It’s in their power and the power of the GOP to stop the cuts that are going to cost 900,000 jobs and threaten economic recession. The American people deserve better.
Mr. Speaker, with that, I also ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 699, a balanced bill to replace the sequester with spending cuts and revenues.
