Daniel Akaka: “I express deep concern about the conference report for S. 1932, the Deficit Reduction bill. Like many of my colleagues…”

“I express deep concern about the conference report for S. 1932, the Deficit Reduction bill. Like many of my colleagues, I too have called for fiscal responsibility and restraint in government spending. However, my opposition to this conference report is not just based on fiscal restraint, but also against misplaced priorities. I voted against the bill when it first passed the Senate because of the draconian message that it sent to the American people, and now we face a package that is worse. We are all conscious that we are heading into the holidays--a time for celebration and reflection. Unfortunately, this is not true for some of us, especially for certain low-income families and individuals affected by this reconciliation package. While families who are well off sit at their lavishly decorated dining room tables, calculating the largess they enjoy as a result of tax cut extensions advocated by the majority party, other families will sit in stark contrast with spare fixings, worry, anxiety, and fear that comes with not knowing how they will survive. The package before us will hit families across the country right in the wallet. The cuts in the conference agreement decrease Medicaid benefits and increase Medicaid copayments and premiums.…”