Republican Spending Bill Cuts Investments in America’s Futur

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Republican Spending Bill Cuts Investments in America’s Future

http://www.democraticwhip.gov/sites/def ... 021411.pdf

“…I’m convinced that if we out-build and out-innovate and out-educate, as well as out-hustle the rest of the world, the jobs and industries of our time will take root here in the United States. Our people will prosper and our country will succeed. But I’m also convinced that the only way we can make these investments in our future is if our government starts living within its means, if we start taking responsibility for our deficits” -President Barack Obama [02/14/11]
Today, President Obama unveiled a budget that makes tough choices to reduce spending and cut the deficit by $1.1 trillion while protecting investments that strengthen the economy and create jobs. His budget priorities stand in strong contrast to the Republican Spending Bill, a short-sighted proposal that arbitrarily cuts critical investments and does not put forward a real plan to address the deficit – even after they proposed policies that would add $5 trillion to the deficit.
“House GOP members are fixated not on specific programs or the purposes of government but on how big an arbitrary number measuring their budget cuts should be... Obama's budget, by contrast, will be a mix of cuts and increases, with the accent on policies oriented toward the future - ones that stress new education and energy initiatives, the need to fix our transportation and technology infrastructures, and the ways in which government can foster research, development and innovation. ” – E.J. Dionne [Washington Post, 02/14/11]
Democrats agree with Republicans that spending cuts are necessary, but their irresponsible plan threatens economic growth and job creation by cutting:
Investments that allow us to OUT-EDUCATE our competitors:

More than 200,000 children kicked out of Head Start and thousands of teachers would lose their jobs
$800 reduction per student in the maximum Pell Grant award
Investments that allow us to OUT-INNOVATE our competitors:

20,000 fewer researchers supported at the National Science Foundation
$1.4 billion reduction in science and energy research to spur clean energy economy of the future
$2.5 billion in cuts to the National Institutes of Health, representing a significant setback in cancer and other disease research.
Investments that allow us to OUT-BUILD our competitors:

Rescinds $2.5 billion for high-speed rail projects already awarded
Loss of 25,000 new construction jobs and the cancellation of 76 projects in 40 states
$234 million in cuts to improve our nation’s air traffic control system
And investments in PUBLIC SAFETY that keep American families safe:

1,330 fewer cops on the beat by eliminating the COPS hiring program\
2,400 fewer firefighters on the job protecting their communities by eliminating funding for SAFER grants
Democrats are committed to making the tough choices needed to reduce spending without cutting these critical investments and are ready to work in a bipartisan way to address the deficit.