[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1675]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           STOP THE SEQUESTER

  (Mr. CASTRO of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak in opposition 
to the inaction on the sequester.
  These across-the-board budget cuts are the direct result of hostage 
politics, another self-inflicted wound that sabotages our efforts to 
build out the infrastructure of opportunity in America for so many 
hardworking and humble people. Inaction should not be an option.
  In Texas, this body's inaction will be felt almost immediately. 
Nearly 100,000 Texans could lose their jobs. Texas schools stand to 
lose almost $70 million, putting nearly 1,000 educators out of work and 
countless children at risk of a disrupted education. More than 50,000 
of the folks supporting our military, many of them veterans themselves, 
could lose 20 percent of their pay in the next year.
  The President and Democrats have offered a balanced solution to stop 
the sequester and reduce our deficit below the historic average. Mr. 
Speaker, I urge you to allow these proposals to come before the full 
House. Our communities deserve good-faith action from Congress.

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