[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 27, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E199-E200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      OPPOSITION TO SEQUESTRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JUAN VARGAS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 27, 2013

  Mr. VARGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to 
sequestration. I am appalled by the complete and utter abdication of 
leadership and responsibility by Speaker Boehner and House Republicans 
to bring a bill to the House Floor that would replace the catastrophic 
and needless sequester.
  Early this week, President Obama reminded us of the untold damage 
that the automatic, across-the-board spending cuts would inflict on our 
fragile economy, on the lives of working families, children, students, 
and on our military. I am outraged that House Republicans would stand 
idly by and allow these disastrous, self-inflicted cuts to go into 
effect causing between one and two million people to lose their jobs. 
We should be adopting policies that create jobs, instead of succumbing 
to policies that eliminate jobs.
  California residents cannot afford another GOP-manufactured crisis. 
That is why, on behalf of all the residents of California, and 
especially the residents of the 51st Congressional District, I have 
joined with my colleagues to call on the House Republican leadership to 
do what is right for our Nation's economy, security and families and 
take action this week on a balanced plan to avert these damaging and 
mindless spending cuts.
  The Office of Management and Budget released a report earlier this 
week that substantiates many of the devastating and widespread impacts 
that sequestration will have on local communities in California, 
several of which are included below:
  Military Readiness and Jobs: In California, approximately 64,000 
civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing 
gross pay by around $399.4 million in total. My district includes 
portions of San Diego, which has one of the largest military presences 
in the Nation and is the headquarters for the Navy Region Southwest. 
These cuts to defense spending will cause the maintenance and repair of 
ships and aircraft to be cancelled, putting at risk the safety and 
security of our men and women in uniform. As nearly 25% of the jobs in 
San Diego County are directly connected to the defense industry, these 
brutal cuts will cause extraordinary harm to the struggling economy and 
put thousands of jobs at risk.
  Job Search Assistance: Around 130,000 fewer Californians will get the 
help and skills they need to find employment as California will lose 
about $3.3 million for job search assistance, referral, and placement. 
My district includes Imperial County which suffers from one of the 
highest unemployment rates in the Nation, nearly 30%. My constituents 
cannot afford to lose critical employment assistance.
  Nutrition for Seniors: California would lose approximately $5.4 
million to help provide meals for seniors. Many of our seniors live on 
limited fixed incomes and rely on these programs to help provide basic 
necessities. We cannot sit here on our hands and allow our seniors to 
go hungry.
  Child Care: Up to 2,000 disadvantaged and vulnerable children could 
lose access to child care, which is also essential for working parents 
to hold down a job.
  Vaccines for Children: In California around 15,810 fewer children 
will receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, 
tetanus, whooping cough, influenza, and Hepatitis B due to reduced 
funding for vaccinations. It is callous and unacceptable to put the 
health and safety of our children at risk.
  Public Health: California will lose approximately $2.6 million to 
help upgrade its ability to respond to public health threats including 
infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, 
nuclear, and radiological events. In addition, California will lose 
about $12.4 in grants to help prevent and treat substance abuse, 
resulting in around 9,400 fewer admissions to substance abuse programs. 
And the California State Department of Public Health will lose about $2 
million resulting in around 49,300 fewer HIV tests.
  Teachers and Schools: California will lose approximately $87.6 
million for primary and secondary education, putting around 1,210 
teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 187,000 fewer students 
would be served and approximately 320 fewer schools would receive 
funding.
  Head Start: Head Start and Early Head Start services would be 
eliminated for approximately 8,200 children in California, reducing

[[Page E200]]

access to critical early education. Many of my constituents rely on 
this crucial service to help bridge the education gap.
  Education for Children with Disabilities: California will lose 
approximately $62.9 million for about 760 teachers, aides, and staff 
who help children with disabilities.
  College Aid and Work-Study Jobs: Around 9,600 fewer low income 
students in California, many from my district, would receive aid to 
help them finance the costs of college and around 3,690 fewer students 
will get work-study jobs that help them pay for college.
  Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds: California will lose about 
$1.6 million in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, 
prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and 
community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim 
and witness initiatives.
  Violence Against Women Grants: California could lose up to $795,000 
to provide services to victims of domestic violence, resulting in up to 
3,000 fewer victims being served.
  Protections for Clean Air and Clean Water: California would lose 
about $12.4 million to ensure clean water and air quality, as well as 
prevent pollution from pesticides and hazardous waste. My district 
relies on this essential funding to help mitigate the pollution that 
drifts across the United States-Mexico border.
  The most egregious part of the House Republicans' dereliction of 
legislative duty, is that over the last several months, both Senate and 
House Democrats have offered fair, balanced plans to avert these 
damaging cuts. These proposals are built on responsible spending cuts, 
increased revenues, and job growth.
  Yesterday, Representative Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member of the 
House Budget Committee, fought valiantly to bring a fair and balanced 
plan to replace the sequester to the floor. His reasonable and 
responsible plan would have eliminated tax loopholes and adopted the 
``Buffet Rule'' to make sure that wealthy Americans pay their fair 
share.
  Yet House Republicans have adamantly refused to work toward a 
compromise to reduce the deficit because they refuse to ask the wealthy 
to pay a little more by closing tax loopholes that benefit the 
privileged few. Republicans are blissfully content to continue to place 
millions of jobs at risk, threaten the health and security of middle 
class families, and put the safety of neighborhoods across the Nation 
in jeopardy.
  I call on my colleagues, the House Republicans, to immediately bring 
legislation to the floor that would replace the sequester with a 
balanced plan and protect our Nation's military, working families, 
seniors, and children from these devastating and unwarranted cuts.

                          ____________________