After a prolonged and divisive debate, lawmakers in Washington have passed a budget deal that projects a grim future for social services and job creation. Thanks to obstinate Members of Congress on the far-right, the deal focuses entirely on budget cuts while steering clear of viable revenue options like the elimination of tax breaks for millionaires and corporations.
The current deal includes a $550 billion reduction in discretionary domestic spending on programs like Head Start, juvenile justice, k-12 education, job training, and domestic violence prevention over the next ten years. While immediate cuts will not be drastic in 2012, overall reductions will bring funding for these vital services to the lowest levels since the 1950s.
Congress has created a bipartisan, bicameral committee tasked with reducing the budget by a further $1.5 trillion by the end of the year. The committee will include Republicans who will push for a zero revenue, hands-off policy that ensures that tax breaks for America’s thriving millionaires and corporations remain in place. In this next phase, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Food Stamps are all at risk for cuts.
It is essential that advocates focus on protecting these services from further, detrimental reductions in the coming months. It is time that America’s wealthiest pay their share. Please stayed tuned for future advocacy efforts and help RAP protect vulnerable populations from unjust budget cuts!
Check out these analyses for further reading on the budget deal:
