Albio Sires: “Unless Congress acts this week, a series of drastic spending cuts known as the sequester will take effect. Sequestration…”

“Unless Congress acts this week, a series of drastic spending cuts known as the sequester will take effect. Sequestration threatens the jobs of hundreds of thousands of middle class Americans, as well as vital services for children, seniors, and our troops. Congress must not wait any longer to come to an agreement. Should sequestration take effect, my State of New Jersey would lose almost $12 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 160 teachers and their aides at risk. New Jersey would also lose $17 million in funding, or about 210 teachers who help children with disabilities. In addition, Head Start and Early Head Start services would be eliminated for an estimated 1,300 children in New Jersey. Furthermore, New Jersey would lose funding cuts for public safety grants provided to local law enforcement officials designed to improve the safety of our communities, as well as reduction in funding to provide meals for New Jersey seniors. Mr. Speaker, these are just a small portion of the impact sequestration will have on New Jersey and America as a whole. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to bring up H.R. 699, a balanced bill to replace the sequester with spending cuts and revenues. The SPEAKER pro tempore. As the Chair has previously advised, that request cannot be entertained absent appropriate clearance. ____________________”