Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. HINCHEY. Yesterday, as we know, was Valentine's Day, but the majority here in Washington is showing no love for the families throughout the district that I represent and all across the rest of this country.

The new majority said they would cut wasteful spending. But instead they're slashing jobs for police officers, jobs for firefighters, jobs for teachers, and many other jobs, all across the country.

They told us they would work to eliminate needless layers of bureaucracy, but instead they're cutting heating assistance for the elderly, food aid for young mothers and infants, and college aid for 15,000 students in the district that I represent and hundreds of thousands of other students all across the country.

They said they would focus on the economy, but instead, they're eliminating energy research and development that we need to create green jobs and compete with other countries around the world. They're sending the workers home on 76 high-speed rail projects underway in 40 states, all very necessary. This hurts real people. It does nothing to address our long-term deficit, and middle class families are the ones who pay the price. The American people don't want more hidden cuts and budgets tricks. We need a plan. We need a solid, secure positive plan.

The national debt we hold today was not created over the last 2 years, as some people are saying. The fiscal crisis we are facing today was inherited from the Bush administration. Under the previous administration, annual budget surpluses were turned into annual deficits. It was Vice President Dick Cheney who said deficits don't matter. Clearly, that's a lesson the new majority has learned well because while they do cut spending with this CR, this bill will undoubtedly worsen our budget deficit. Why? Because it will kill hundreds of thousands of jobs. That means more people unemployed.

The people didn't send us here to tend to the needs of Wall Street and oil company CEOs. So why does the majority stand against the plan to end special tax earmarks that would actually cut the deficit?

We could be discussing how to end government redtape. For instance, in 5 years we could save many billions of dollars by allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for seniors. But instead, the majority here wants to cut the administrative budget for Social Security. This plan hurts New Yorkers and others all across the country. And it hurts the district that I represent. Fifteen thousand college students in places like Ithaca and New Paltz will get hurt with the maximum Pell Grant falling by $800 as the cost of college continues to go up for students all across America.

And 123,000 low-income pregnant women and new moms in New York will get less assistance with the pre- and postnatal nutrition they need. That will happen to thousands and thousands of others all across the country.

Nearly 2 million New Yorkers who apply for LIHEAP this year will find it harder to heat their homes next year, as will so many thousands of others across the country.

Job training programs like Job Corps in Sullivan County, which will help high school dropouts get the training they need to get good jobs, will get cut out too.

Like a blindfolded child at a pinata party, this continuing resolution takes a bat to all the wrong things at exactly the wrong time. I would urge my colleagues to oppose it.

Stand up for the American people. Stand up for a real plan to reduce the deficit, and fight to save the jobs this country needs so desperately.

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