Advocacy Groups Outline Principles for a Fair 2012 Budget

A coalition of more than 110 civil rights, labor, economic, and other advocacy groups says current negotiations over the FY2012 budget in Washington are going in the wrong direction and pose a threat to the economy and millions of Americans.

The groups – which represent persons of color, women, children, low- to moderate-income workers, people with disabilities, consumers, seniors, people of faith, English language learners, LGBT people, educators – have signed on to a Leadership Conference letter outlining principles that they say “are essential” as the budget talks continue.

The principles endorsed by the groups state that:

• Congress must reject global federal spending caps or entitlement caps.
• Any deficit reduction agreement, as well as any budget enforcement mechanism, must rely at least as much on revenue increases as on spending cuts.
• The burden of deficit reduction must not be borne by low- and moderate-income individuals.
• Congress must reject any effort to impose a Constitutional balanced budget amendment.
• Congress must protect investments that are vital to our nation’s economic advancement.

“Our coalition understands that deficit reduction is an important long-term goal for the nation,” said Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “But it cannot be accomplished without putting revenues on the table.  Otherwise, the burden of reducing the debt will be laid at the feet of low- and moderate-income Americans and jeopardize a still-sluggish economic recovery.” 

Read the letter and a full description of the principles:

Coalition Statement of Principles for Fy 2012 Budget and Debt Ceiling Negotiations