On the recordMay 10, 2012
Mr. Speaker, today the House will consider the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act. This bill is a broken promise. It would eliminate the Social Service Block Grant, which funds essential services like child abuse prevention and Meals on Wheels. It would cut off food assistance for 1.8 million Americans, and leave 100,000 children and senior citizens without health insurance, so we can increase defense spending. We spend nearly as much on defense every year as the rest of the world combined. This includes billions maintaining a nuclear arsenal designed for the Cold War, and $500 million a year for military bands. We can protect ourselves and our allies with a leaner, smarter defense. Yet if we make cuts like these, our military will have little to defend. We will only solve our debt crisis with a balanced, bipartisan approach that honors our commitments.
