[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 27, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H671-H672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             SEQUESTRATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Maffei) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MAFFEI. Thank you, Madam Speaker.
  Since becoming central New York's new Representative, I have met with 
over a hundred business owners and development leaders in my community. 
I've visited universities, the hospitals, the factories, the public 
schools, and I've met with local leaders and law enforcement and public 
safety. The one message I keep hearing throughout my district is that 
we need to work together to grow and strengthen our middle class and 
create jobs. Work together. Now, more than ever, that's what Congress 
and the President needs to do. That's what the American people and my 
constituents overwhelmingly want.
  If people do not come to the table and work together by March 1, this 
Friday, more than 70,000 jobs are at risk in my State alone. At Hancock 
Air Base, New York National Guard employees, 280 of them are at risk. 
Two hundred eighty National Guard employees at the 174th Attack Wing 
will be furloughed, notwithstanding the fact that this unit is flying 
missions in Afghanistan as we debate these issues.
  Automatic spending cuts will force the FAA to cut air traffic 
controller shifts and potentially eliminate overnight shifts at the 
Syracuse Hancock International Airport and other upstate New York 
airports. Cuts will also force TSA to cut back on personnel, increasing 
wait times by an hour or more at many airports. This will have a 
chilling effect on a still-fragile economic recovery.
  Seventy thousand New York college students will lose tuition 
assistance, and across the country, 70,000 deserving children will lose 
Head Start. Now, to keep America strong we are told that we need to 
make sure for our national security and our economy that we improve 
STEM education, science and technology. This is doing the opposite.
  We need to take a balanced approach, trimming where necessary instead 
of these arbitrary sweeping cuts that hurt middle class families.
  This is not a partisan issue. The Republicans on this floor have 
spoken about how bad these arbitrary cuts are and how damaging they 
might be. Our Nation needs to get its fiscal house in order, and we 
need to do it right away, not on the backs of our middle class and 
seniors, and not at the expense of thousands of jobs.
  Now, there is a specific plan to do that. It balances cuts with 
revenue increases.
  Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 699 with this 
balanced approach.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 3, 2013, the House is in session solely for the purpose of 
conducting morning-hour debate. Therefore, the gentleman's request 
cannot be entertained.
  Mr. MAFFEI. Well, Madam Speaker, I do understand that, but I do hope 
that the leadership of this House considers just doing a vote, a 
regular up-or-down vote, on this or any plan to avoid these arbitrary 
cuts.
  We need to institute better programs and methods to root out waste, 
fraud, and abuse and ensure that taxpayer dollars are being used most 
efficiently. There's no question about that. We also need comprehensive 
tax reform that finds revenues in ways that don't hurt the middle 
class, like ending the tax loopholes for corporations that ship jobs 
overseas and ending the tax breaks for big oil and gas companies.

[[Page H672]]

  Madam Speaker, our plan is a balanced approach. More spending cuts 
and modest revenue increases. Now is not the time for partisan 
politics. With the future of our economy hanging in the balance, we 
cannot afford inaction.

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