[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 21, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H2812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE DISTURBING SILENCE TO THE SEQUESTER

  (Ms. MENG asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. MENG. To me, what has been more shocking than the sequester, 
itself, has been the response to it, or lack thereof, on the part of 
House leadership.
  Are they listening to those on our streets and in our neighborhoods? 
Maybe the country is simply numbed by its repugnance of this Congress 
and the last.
  The sequester harms the American people, particularly the middle 
class and our children. My district in Queens, New York, is decidedly 
and truly middle class; and every day constituents tell me how the 
sequester is hurting their families and their futures. It will cost 
America over 750,000 jobs this year, including police, firefighters, 
public defenders, and border agents.
  We need to come to a compromise on a real spending plan that will 
increase revenue rather than slashing critical programs. The American 
people need us to speak up for our priorities and our values. The 
silence is disturbing. The sequester is not okay.

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