Oppose H.R. 6365, the “National Security and Job Protection Act”

Recipient: U.S. House of Representatives

Dear Representative:

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, we urge you to oppose H.R. 6365, the “National Security and Job Protection Act.” While we agree that it is vital to address long-term debt, and while we also agree that our national defense cannot be sacrificed in the process, H.R. 6365 is not a balanced approach and does not move Congress any closer to a bipartisan alternative.

H.R. 6365 proposes to undo the budget sequester provision that Congress agreed to last year, as a part of the Budget Control Act. H.R. 6365 requires the President to submit a plan to Congress that would avert the looming cuts to defense spending. Yet since it is well-known that the House Republican leadership will not agree to raise revenues, any plan acceptable to the House would likely be identical to H.R. 5652, the “Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act,” which the House passed last May, and like that bill, would have to make unconscionable cuts to social services and safety net programs while leaving room to cut taxes on wealthy Americans.

The Budget Control Act of 2011 established the sequester as an unpalatable alternative that would force Congress to reach a bipartisan agreement on deficit reduction. In pursuit of such an agreement, President Obama and many in Congress have repeatedly called for modest revenue increases to balance out cuts in federal spending.

Unfortunately, the House has rejected these calls out of hand – not on the merits, but because they would violate a “pledge” that many members made to Americans for Tax Reform before the 2010 election. It is disturbing that many House members are perfectly content to repudiate a law they voted for a year ago, with some even denying they voted for it in the first place, while refusing to back away from a vow they made to a special interest group.

Congress must face the fact that sensible, targeted revenue increases are a necessary and fiscally responsible component of ameliorating the upcoming defense cuts in the short term, and ensuring our long-term economic health in the long run. In the meantime, we urge you to reject H.R. 6365.

If you have any questions, please contact either of us, or Senior Counsel Rob Randhava, at (202) 466-3311.

Sincerely,

Wade Henderson
President & CEO

Nancy Zirkin
Executive Vice President