On Thursday, House Republicans released a budget that targets virtually everybody except the wealthy and corporations. The draft budget proposal slashes funding for labor, health and human services, education, and services for the poor, unemployed, and elderly. This sets the stage for a battle between Democrats, Republicans, and the White House that could result in a shut down of the federal government.
One target of the Republicans is the National Labor Relations Board which protects collective bargaining rights and protects unions from corporate retribution. The GOP aims to cut funding to the NLRB by 17% and will block funding of critical regulations.
Also on the chopping block is Planned Parenthood, which provides health services to women across the country. Republicans want to weaken Planned Parenthood in an effort to bring it to the brink of collapse. Millions of women who rely on the services that Planned Parenthood provides will not be able to get cancer screenings and other medical services they need.
Education is also being targeted by the GOP. As part of a plan to slash education by $2.4 billion, Republicans aim to significantly reduce Pell Grant eligibility of low income college students. They also aim to end President Obama’s successful “Race to the Top” program which rewards academic achievement and teacher performance.
Another target of House Republicans is National Public Radio, which delivers non-partisan news and information to millions across the country, especially the poor. Republicans also want to kill PBS, which has been delivering educational programming to children for decades. In short, Republicans seek to kill Big Bird.
Republicans also seek to kill off The Affordable Care Act, the health care reform law that President Obama signed. Among the many popular reforms that would be repealed is the law preventing insurance companies from dropping patients, and parents being able to keep their kids on their insurance through the age of 26, which has kept millions of young people insured.
The GOP is also seeking to throw whole families out into the cold, literally. They intend to eliminate 28% of heating subsidies that prevent low income families and senior citizens from freezing during the winter. They have also proposed slashes to housing programs that would put thousands of senior citizens, low income families with children, and veterans into the streets. In other words, Republicans support homelessness.
And finally, Republicans are continuing their war against jobs. If you are unemployed you are totally out of luck, because House Republicans are reducing funding for jobs training programs which are particularly critical during this time. Once again, Republicans are refusing to create jobs. They are instead preventing people from getting jobs.
Of course Republicans are already claiming that by destroying these programs, they are “saving them.” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers (R-Ky.), said excessive and wasteful spending over the years had put many programs and agencies on “an irresponsible and unsustainable fiscal path. To protect critical programs and services that many Americans rely on – especially in this time of fiscal crisis – the bill takes decisive action to cut duplicative, inefficient and wasteful spending to help get these agency budgets onto sustainable financial footing.”
House Republicans are, as usual, full of crap. They are waging a vindictive war of attrition against the poor, students, the elderly, women, children, the unemployed, and military veterans. Republicans hope to sneak this $153 billion measure into a larger omnibus spending bill this fall or winter. This is not only a deceitful and disgusting move, the plan is an immoral one. This is a plan that punishes the American people in a way that should make the self-proclaimed party of “family values” shudder in shame.
Edited by Wendy Gittleson
Small government does not work. It puts millions out of work…LOL, if you think the private sector is the way to go…Let the crime begin. paying people 2 bucks an hour with no benefits while they reek billions in profits…….That is the private sector way…George Bush started with Solyndra, so what, the auto was saved saving thousands of jobs . You win a few and lose a few. This country is a laughing stock. the whole world is leaving us in a cloud of dust as our roads and bridges crumble away. Hong Kong, Finland, germany and Canada are looking real good. They have a lot of government involvement, not a bunch of retards kissing the ass of some drug infested ignorant man named Rush or the Donald!!!!!