Civil and Human Rights Coalition Opposes Misguided ‘Cut, Cap, and Balance Act’

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is opposing legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that would drastically cut vital social programs and undermine the nation’s economy.

In a July 18 letter to House members, Wade Henderson,
president and CEO of The Leadership Conference, and Nancy Zirkin,
executive vice president of The Leadership Conference, write that:

Even though H.R. 2560 [the “Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011”] puts off the painful details until later, it is
clear that it would require extreme and irresponsible cuts in federal
spending. It would slash or eliminate many services that are needed by
communities we represent, including people of color, young children,
students, older Americans, women, the jobless, and the uninsured. With
millions of families currently struggling in the face of unemployment
and reduced income, H.R. 2560 would make things worse by requiring
massive cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, education,
emergency food assistance, and other necessities.  

The letter also opposes efforts to link raising the nation’s debt ceiling to passage of a balanced budget amendment:

At the same time, H.R. 2560 would hold hostage our nation’s long-term
economic health by requiring, as a condition to any increase in the
federal debt ceiling, that Congress send to the states one of several
extreme versions of a balanced budget amendment to the U.S.
Constitution. This draconian and unwise proposal would require the
largest budget cuts precisely when the economy is at its weakest,
tipping a struggling economy deep into recession and keeping it there
for a protracted length of time. Indeed, by restricting federal spending
to 18 percent of GDP (a level not seen since 1966), the proposed
amendment would force cuts even more drastic than the Ryan budget, which
reduces spending to approximately 20 percent each year.

Zirkin
and Henderson urge House members to reject H.R. 2560 and focus on
reaching a bipartisan compromise that will address the nation’s financial
needs and protect the interests of its most vulnerable populations