Last night, under the cover or darkness, House and Senate negotiatiors
struck one of the most shameful budget deals in recent memory. This budget
slashes domestic spending for critical programs like Medicaid, child support, enforcement, student loans, assistance to needy families (TANF), and many others. Once again, Congress is trying to balance America's checkbook on the backs of the poor--and this time, their back might just crack.
So disgraceful is this budget that the House had to pass it at 5:45 AM this morning in order to avoid the disinfectant effect of sunlight and public scrutiny. The Senate might vote on it as early as today. We need progressives to flood the Senate with calls denouncing this sham of a budget and urging Senators to vote NO on the budget deal. Please call this toll-free number to contact your Senators: 1-800-828-0498.
More on the flip
We urgently need calls to four Senators in particular:
Coleman (R-MN), Specter (R-PA), Landrieu (D-LA) and Nelson (D-NE). If you live in
Minnesota, Louisina, Pennsylvania or Nebraska, please call
1-800-828-0498, ask for your Senator's office, and
tell them to oppose the budget conference deal.
Today we released this statement on the budget deal (it focuses on Medicaid):
"The budget bill's Medicaid cuts will cause enormous hardships for America's low-income children, seniors, and people with disabilities. The cuts will increase out-of-pocket costs and decrease benefits for millions of people who count on Medicaid as their health care safety net, resulting in a tragic loss of needed medical care.
"It is clear that the House steamrolled the Senate with these Medicaid budget cuts. The initial Senate bill protected low-income children, seniors, and people with disabilities from harm, while the House bill included Medicaid cutbacks nearly identical to those in the Conference Committee agreement.
"The fate of these Medicaid cuts is now largely in the hands of seven Republican and two Democratic Senators - Senators Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike DeWine (R-OH), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Gordon Smith (R-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Arlen Specter (PA). The seven Republican Senators last week sent a letter to the Senate leadership rejecting the House Medicaid cuts, and the two Democrats were the only members of their party who earlier voted for the more moderate Senate budget bill.
"We implore the nine Senators, as well as others, to reject the budget reconciliation bill that contains the harmful Medicaid cuts."
Again, we urgently need calls to four Senatorsin particular: Coleman (R-MN), Specter (R-PA), Landrieu (D-LA) and Nelson (D-NE). If you live in Minnesota, Louisina, Pennsylvania or Nebraska, please call 1-800-828-0498, ask for your Senator's office, and tell them to oppose the budget conference deal.