[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 16, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H1849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            REPUBLICANS PUSH SPENDING CUTS THAT DESTROY JOBS

  (Ms. BASS of California asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. BASS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to 
the majority's spending plan that would cost jobs and threaten our 
economic recovery. Republicans have held the majority for 11 weeks now, 
and we have yet to see a jobs plan. Instead of focusing on jobs, which 
is the number one priority of Americans, the majority is pushing 
spending cuts that destroy thousands of jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, the majority is ignoring the warnings from economists 
that the sharp cuts they propose would guarantee major job losses in 
the public and private sectors. The Economic Policy Institute shows 
that the majority's plan would destroy more than 800,000 jobs. Mark 
Zandi, John McCain's former economic adviser, puts the job loss figure 
at 700,000. No matter who is right, the number is far too high.
  Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues on the other side of the aisle 
don't particularly like public employees, but we do need to ask just 
who are these public employees. Just one example is the staff at the 
tsunami warning center. Under the majority's plan, the National Weather 
Service, the agency that houses the tsunami center that issued alerts 
after Friday's earthquake--and there was significant damage in 
California after the tsunami--would be cut by $126 million. These cuts 
would result in furloughs and office closures affecting the center's 
ability to issue future warnings.
  The type of cuts proposed by the majority does not create jobs; it 
destroys them. I urge the majority to work with us on a responsible 
spending plan that drives economic growth and job creation.

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