Washington - House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rep. Norm Dicks made the following comments concerning the Republican Majority’s proposed 302(b) Subcommittee Allocations for Fiscal Year 2012, which were released today:
“Last week the Labor Department announced the good news that the private sector had added 268,000 jobs in the month of April. However there was a concurrent loss of 24,000 government workers, diminishing the employment growth to 244,000 jobs. The report confirms what many of us have warned since the beginning of the recession: drastic reductions in federal, state and local government spending slow job growth and economic recovery.
“Earlier this year House Republicans presented their FY2011 budget priorities in H.R. 1. Economists estimated it would have resulted in the loss of anywhere from hundreds of thousands to 2.4 million jobs. Their extreme budget would have eroded much of the positive job growth we’re now seeing in the private sector and would have had a devastating overall impact on the economy. Fortunately, a more reasonable compromise was agreed to, averting a government shutdown and preserving many vital investments.
“Now the Republican Majority is proposing a FY2012 discretionary budget that is even more extreme: it cuts $7 billion below the level contained in H.R.1, $30 billion below the FY2011 levels that were enacted, and $102 billion below the President’s FY12 Budget request. Their allocation slashes a devastating $41.5 billion from the President’s request for the Labor-HHS-Education bill alone.
“These reductions are irresponsible and they would necessitate draconian cuts to programs that Americans depend on including Pell Grants, Head Start, Food Safety and WIC, as well as assistance to state and local governments for law enforcement, infrastructure improvements, housing, community development, public health, and other needs. Rather than presenting a reasonable budget that continues the momentum of our economic recovery, the Republicans have decided to double-down on their bogus economic theory called “cut and grow." It’s clear from what we’re seeing in the economy that if these cuts were enacted, they would lead to a severe setback for economic growth by shedding more government jobs and further depressing state and local government spending."
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
