Civil and Human Rights Coalition Joins 3,000 Organizations Opposing Further Nondefense Cuts, Calls for “Balanced Deficit Reduction”

WASHINGTON, DC –Today, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights joined an enormous and diverse cross-section of American organizations in opposing even more cuts to federal nondefense discretionary (NDD) programs. 

NDD programs are core functions government provides for the benefit of all, including medical and scientific research; education and job training; infrastructure; public safety and law enforcement; public health; weather monitoring and environmental protection; natural and cultural resources; housing and social services; and more.

The programs are vital to the nation’s economic well-being, yet have already been subject to massive cuts. According the letter below signed by the groups, since 2010 “NDD programs have been cut by 10 percent on average, with many programs cut by as much as 50 percent.”

The Leadership Conference was joined in this effort by an unusual grouping of partners, including Defenders of Wildlife, the American Mathematical Society, the Association of American Cancer Institutes, and many more. 

Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference, said “These programs provide critical opportunities for all Americans and have been shrinking at a time when communities need more investment, not less. We need a responsible deficit reduction, not one that starves our education system, ignores our crumbling infrastructure, and restricts opportunities for social mobility.”

·         The full text of the letter is below.

·         A 64-page PDF with signers is linked here: http://publichealthfunding.org/uploads/NDDLetter.Final.July2012.pdf.

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July 12, 2012

Dear Representative:

Attached is a letter signed by The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights along with nearly 3,000 undersigned national, state, and local organizations, representing the hundreds of millions of Americans who support and benefit from nondefense discretionary (NDD) programs, urging Congress and the President to work together to ensure sequestration does not take effect. We strongly urge a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to NDD programs, which have already been used to reduce the deficit.

NDD programs are core functions government provides for the benefit of all, including medical and scientific research; education and job training; infrastructure; public safety and law enforcement; public health; weather monitoring and environmental protection; natural and cultural resources; housing and social services; and international relations. Every day these programs support economic growth and strengthen the safety and security of every American in every state and community across the nation.

NDD programs represent a small and shrinking share of the federal budget and of our overall economy. The NDD budget represented just 3.4 percent of our country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2011, consistent with historical levels. Under the bipartisan Budget Control Act, by 2021 NDD funding will decline to just 2.5 percent of GDP, the lowest level in at least 50 years.

NDD programs are not the reason behind our growing debt. In fact, even completely eliminating all NDD programs would still not balance the budget. Yet NDD programs have borne the brunt of deficit reduction efforts.

• Since fiscal 2010, NDD programs have been cut by 10 percent on average, with many programs cut by as much as 50 percent.    
           
• By 2021, the remaining discretionary caps (2013-2021) in the bipartisan Budget Control Act will reduce NDD programs by an additional 7 percent, relative to 2012 levels.    
           
• If sequestration is allowed to take effect, nonexempt NDD programs will be reduced by another 8.4 percent in FY 2013.

In total, if Congress and the President fail to act, between fiscal 2010 and 2021 NDD programs will have been cut by 20 percent overall. Such indiscriminate cuts threaten the entire range of bipartisan national priorities. For example, there will be fewer scientific and technological innovations, fewer teachers in classrooms, fewer job opportunities, fewer National Park visitor hours, fewer air traffic controllers, fewer food and drug inspectors, and fewer first responders.

America’s day-to-day security requires more than military might. NDD programs support our economy, drive our global competitiveness, and provide an environment where all Americans may lead healthy, productive lives. Only a balanced approach to deficit reduction can restore fiscal stability, and NDD has done its part. Please work together to find a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to NDD programs.

An electronic copy of this letter with the complete list of signers, a fact sheet and press release are available at: http://publichealthfunding.org/index.php/action/campaigns/ndd_united/