[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 22, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H2848-H2849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF SEQUESTRATION

  (Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, instead of working 
together to find a compromise to fully reverse the sequester, House 
Republicans have turned their backs on the American people and are 
jeopardizing our fragile economy. In fact, sequestration will cost 
750,000 jobs this year alone, according to the Congressional Budget 
Office.
  We saw last month how quickly and easily these cuts can be addressed 
when the Congress passed legislation to address traffic controller 
furloughs. But we have not been given the opportunity to address the 
70,000 children who could lose access to Head Start or any of the

[[Page H2849]]

other programs that have been crippled.
  Funding for the National Institutes of Health has shrunk by $1.5 
billion, cutting into lifesaving medical research for areas that 
include breast cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's. The cuts from 
NIH alone will result in a loss of more than 20,000 jobs and $3 billion 
in economic activity.
  We can address these cuts, but the GOP's obstructionism has stalled 
all reasonable efforts.
  We need to work on an approach that will fix sequestration while 
reducing our deficit sensibly.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my Republican colleagues to come to the table to 
compromise, and help find a solution that will keep our economy on 
track and growing.

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