By re-affirming this year's across-the-board cuts and slashing even more deeply into critical priorities like schools, roads and bridges, and medical research, the House budget resolution is a blueprint for stalled growth, joblessness, and abandonment of American families.
Since 2010, Congress has cut discretionary spending by $1.5 trillion over ten years. The Fiscal Year 2011 Appropriations bills lowered Congressional Budget Office (CBO) -projected spending by $550 billion over 10 years, and the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011 lowered future spending by an additional $900 billion over 10 years.
Congress' failure to replace this year's across-the-board budget cuts mandated through sequestration with a balanced alternative slashed an additional $68 billion in discretionary services and investments in Fiscal Year 2013. The nonpartisan, independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported this will result in 750,000 fewer American jobs this year alone.
The Republican budget resolution would further exacerbate these dangerous cuts. Under the caps already in place, spending on non-defense discretionary services and investments, relative to the size of the economy, will fall to the lowest level on record-and records go back to 1962. Nevertheless, the Ryan budget would cut an additional $1 trillion over 10 years from funding levels agreed to by Democrats and Republicans through the Budget Control Act.
With proposed funding levels this irresponsible and dangerous, it is not surprising that Republicans failed to identify the services they would cut. This budget presents a false choice between services and assistance that Americans rely on, like veterans' benefits, homeland security, schools, medical research, law enforcement, and Pell Grants.
Despite unprecedented discretionary spending cuts since 2010, the Republican budget proposal would continue to inflict wounds on our economy by deepening cuts to initiatives that support job growth and help middle class families.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
