[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 69 (Tuesday, May 15, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E802-E803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            SEQUESTER REPLACEMENT RECONCILIATION ACT OF 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2012

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, once again, the Republican majority is 
proposing legislation that puts Americans directly on the Road to 
Austerity. Similar to the Ryan Budget, the Sequester Replacement 
Reconciliation Act is noteworthy for the harsh austerity it demands of 
the many and the lavish benefits it extends to the few.
  Instead of closing tax loopholes or asking millionaires to contribute 
to deficit reduction, this bill focuses only on cutting spending while 
hurting millions of Americans.
  This bill puts the burden of deficit reduction squarely on the backs 
of seniors, the middle class, and the most vulnerable among us:
  It slashes food stamps by $33.2 billion at a time when families can 
least afford it; permanently eliminates the Social Services Block Grant 
program which provides assistance for nearly 23 million Americans 
including 4.4 million children and 1.7 million older Americans who 
receive ``Meals on Wheels''; cuts investments to women's health by 
eliminating the Prevention and Public Health Fund which promotes 
maternal and child health; and politicizes the funding process for the 
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which was created by the Dodd-
Frank law to deal with banks that are ``too big to fail.''
  Mr. Speaker, Democrats agree that we need deficit reduction, but 
demand that we do it in a balanced and fair way. The proposal before us 
shreds the social safety net that protects millions of hardworking 
families in an effort to protect defense cuts under sequestration and 
makes billions of dollars in cuts beyond what

[[Page E803]]

was agreed to under the Budget Control Act for FY13.
  This bill is another example of a partisan bill that has no chance of 
going anywhere but that sends a message to all Americans: You are on 
your own. From Medicare to child protective services, to respite care 
for disabled individuals, the Republican majority is cutting your 
services while handing a neatly wrapped gift to our Nation's 
millionaires.
  I strongly urge a ``no'' vote.

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