San Bernardio Sun - Committed to Ending Sequestration Cuts: Gloria Negrete McLeod
Op-Ed
By Rep Gloria Negrete McLeod
Dear Supervisor Ramos,
Thank you for your letter regarding the impact that sequestration will have to the greater Inland Empire region and San Bernardino County in particular. I would not have supported these automatic federal cuts which were agreed upon prior to my time in Congress. I am committed to ending the sequestration cuts thereby restoring crucial funding for programs that help seniors, children, and law enforcement, among others in California's 35th Congressional District.
The most vulnerable should not suffer nor should they be the means to balancing the federal budget. Many seniors and low-income families will see and are seeing cuts not only from sequestration, but through other federal spending cut proposals in Congress.
As a member of the House Agriculture Committee, nutrition programs are a priority. In committee, I voted against the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act of 2013 because it contains over $20 billion in proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is an anti-poverty and anti-hunger program that has lifted millions of children and seniors out of poverty. During the committee mark-up process, I was a vocal opponent to SNAP cuts.
We must ensure that state and local law enforcement in San Bernardino County have the tools, personnel, and resources necessary to protect and serve Inland Empire communities. Each year, the House Appropriations Committee looks to Congress members for recommendations of programmatic requests on federal programs that help fund state and local activities. I have urged the committee to prioritize $1.18 billion in funding for the Office of Justice Programs in fiscal year 2014. I requested sufficient funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) Program and the $218 million for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) programs, both vital sources of federal funding for local law enforcement.
Moreover, I co-sponsored and voted for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that became federal law earlier this year providing more funding for law enforcement to significantly strengthen the ability of combating domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and also includes added protections for Native Americans.
Although San Bernardino County faces cuts as a result of the sequester if Congress does not take action, it is positive to note that the county was among the top three in the entire state that received the most funds for fiscal year 2013 from the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program. I was active in requesting the House Appropriations committee to fund the PILT program at its current level. PILT helps local governments offset losses in property taxes due to the amount of federal land within a certain region to help vital services such as firefighting and police protection, construction of public schools and roads, and search-and-rescue operations. San Bernardino County received a total of $3,100,812.
While there have been significant strides in maintaining funding for crucial programs, the effects of sequestration will continue to have an impact for the county of San Bernardino. I have continuously worked with House leadership to consider HR 699, the Stop the Sequester Job Loss Now Act, a common sense bill that would replace sequester cuts with balanced, responsible revenues and spending cuts. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress must work together in a bipartisan effort to restore certainty for families by ending sequestration.
I am fully committed to work with local governments and organizations in California's 35th Congressional District to secure federal resources that will spur economic development, improve infrastructure, protect the health and safety of the public, and support families.
Respectfully,
Gloria Negrete McLeod
Member of Congress
Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod, D-Montclair, represents the 35th Congressional District.
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