Older Americans & Seniors
The House Republican budget has been officially unveiled, and the reviews aren’t pretty. It appears that the early predictions were correct: while the Republican budget includes no major surprises, it does offer plenty of disappointment. The reaction so far is that the Republican budget cannot be taken seriously, it offers more of the same, targets the most vulnerable and leaves us with unanswered questions.
“The Republican budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2014, which Chairman Ryan introduced this morning, once again heaps the burden of deficit reduction onto the backs of those who can least afford it while asking nothing of those at the top. Yielding to the extreme wing of his party, which has demanded that he balance the budget in only ten years but refuses to consider any new revenues necessary to do so, Chairman Ryan flouts mathematics and fiscal common sense by imposing severe cuts to programs vital to seniors, women, veterans, federal employees, low-income families, and America’s middle class.
In what is likely to be the latest installment in a tragic budgetary trilogy, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan on Tuesday will introduce a Republican budget proposal for fiscal year 2014 that purports to balance within ten years. While an improved economic outlook and new revenue from the fiscal cliff deal make the task of balancing the budget somewhat easier, this plan, much like Ryan’s previous budgets, is expected to rely on spurious budget trickery to reach its goal.
Rep. Paul Ryan may not have officially unveiled his budget proposal yet, but he gave a pretty clear indication of his plans this weekend. As expected, it appears the Republican budget will be based on false realities, gimmicks, and rejected policies.
The reckless, across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester could have a disproportionate impact on critical programs that serve those in our nation’s most vulnerable communities. Instead of asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share by closing tax loopholes, Republicans have threatened many programs that seniors, working mothers, veterans, and many other Americans rely on.
Today, House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) announced the creation of the new Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity, and that he has appointed Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) to serve as its chair. The Task Force will work to raise the awareness of Members of Congress and the American people about the ongoing crisis of poverty, as well as the need for a comprehensive national effort to eradicate poverty and remove barriers to opportunity that prevent low-income Americans from reaching the middle class.
“I appreciate this opportunity to discuss the dangerous impact of the Ryan-Romney-Republican House budget on Medicare and the positive impact of the Affordable Care Act Democrats passed in 2010.
Funny how the closer we get to an election, the more vocal Republicans get in speaking out against their own Party’s budget plan introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan. The GOP’s draconian budget plan would end Medicare as we know it and slash the social safety net in order to provide tax breaks for the wealthiest among us. No wonder several prominent GOP members are already throwing the plan “under the bus.”
From Politico’s Huddle:
Mr. Speaker, the challenging times we live in force us to make difficult choices about our priorities. The reconciliation bill before us today is an example of choosing the wrong priorities.
Democrats are committed to a deficit reduction plan that asks all Americans to contribute their fair share and prevents sequestration from occurring through a balanced mix of spending cuts and revenues. Unfortunately, the Republican plan is not balanced and makes the wrong choices by ending the Medicare guarantee and targeting the most vulnerable among us, while cutting taxes for millionaires and billionaires.