[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15471]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              SEQUESTRATION IS HURTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

  (Mr. RUPPERSBERGER asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. RUPPERSBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to how 
sequestration and the current dysfunction in the House is hurting the 
American people, our infrastructure, our education, our national 
security, and our veterans. Sequestration has caused a severe slowdown 
in our job growth in this country, especially as it affects the middle 
class.
  We have seen reduction of job growth resulting in the potential loss 
of close to 800,000 American jobs. These are jobs my constituents in 
Baltimore County region desperately need. Just yesterday my staff met 
with a constituent from Owings Mills, Maryland, who was laid off from a 
defense contractor due to sequestration cuts.
  The current fiscal year 2016 transportation and housing appropriation 
bill cuts TIGER grants, which are used to fund critical highway, 
transit, and important investments, by approximately $400 million. That 
is less than the fiscal year 2015 level and $1.2 billion less than the 
President's request. We need this transportation money for jobs. Our 
infrastructure is failing.
  We cannot stay competitive without investment. Sequestration is not 
the answer. Continuing resolutions are not the answer. Passing the buck 
is not the answer. It is time for Congress to stop the nip-and-tuck 
tactics and make tough decisions about our priorities.

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