CONYERS REINTRODUCES THE ONE-SENTENCE BILL TO CANCEL THE SEQUESTER

WASHINGTON– Today, Representative John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) introduced the “Cancel the Sequester Act of 2015.”  This one-sentence bill would repeal the across-the-board-cuts that are scheduled to go into effect once again this fall. 

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

“Six years after the onset of the financial crisis, there are still millions of Americans seeking full-time employment and a livable wage.  The misguided budget cuts known as ‘the Sequester’ would make life significantly harder for these hard-working people and the families they struggle to support,” said Conyers.  “These across-the-board budget cuts are unique among American public policies for a simple reason: They were purposefully designed to be a bad idea.  During the debt ceiling standoff of 2011, the Sequester was designed as a default option so revolting to both Democrats and Republicans that it would force the bipartisan “Super Committee” to form a workable budget plan.  While that committee failed at this objective, the American people have been left to pay the price.”

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Sequester, if fully implemented, would put hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk—including many associated with small businesses.  Macroeconomic Advisers, an independent consulting firm, estimated that the first round of sequestration and the related budget battles of the 112^th and 113^th Congresses have cost the United States roughly $700 billion in economic activity.

“A new round of sequestration this fall would undermine educational quality, research output, and military readiness while leaving us with longer airport security lines, more untreated mental illnesses, more hunger, more homelessness, and fewer federal criminal prosecutions.  We have an obligation to act.  This legislation would repeal the section of the Budget Control Act of 2011 that created these job-killing budget cuts.”  

Original Congressional co-sponsors of the Cancel the Sequester Act of 2015 include: Reps. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) , Gwen Moore (D-WI), James McGovern (D-MA), Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ).

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cancel the Sequester Act Press Conference

To stop further job loss in the public and private sectors, it is important that Congress repeal the sequester. These across-the-board cuts will cost more than 750,000 jobs this year alone and could derail the economic recovery.

Working families are calling on Congress to protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid from benefit cuts (i.e., raising the retirement age and the "chained" CPI), repeal the sequester and close tax loopholes for corporations and the wealthiest 2%. 

Social Security Works, MoveOn.org and the Other 98% gathered more than 300,000 signatures and more than 60 national organizations signed onto a letter calling on Congress to repeal the sequester.

Organizations who signed the letter include the AFL-CIO, Alliance for Retired Americans, the Strengthen Social Security coalition, the Education Trust, Every Child Matters Education Fund, Wider Opportunities for Women, Green For All, the Letter Carriers, National Education Association and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund.

http://www.aflcio.org/Blog/Political-Action-Legislation/Watch-Live-at-Noon-Repeal-the-Sequester-Press-Conference 

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Conyers: Sequester is Not the Answer

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement after his vote in opposition to H.R. 933, the “Fiscal Year 2013 Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act:”

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“Today, I opposed a flawed government spending bill that fails to make critical investments in our nation’s domestic priorities or stop the devastating across-the-board spending cuts known as ‘sequestration,’” said Conyers. 

 

“By failing to stop sequestration with today’s vote, Congress is callously turning a blind eye to the terrible ramifications of these cuts.  Failure to act today is a failure to prevent 600,000 to 775,000 low-income women, infants, and children from losing access to nutritional supplements.  It is a failure to protect 100,000 low-income families who will lose their housing vouchers.  It is a failure to preserve precious dollars in the unemployment checks of millions of jobless workers. 

 

“Budgets and funding bills are necessary components of the work of any legislative body.  But they also serve another purpose: they demonstrate to the world our values, morals, and national priorities.  By voting for a bill today that ignores the needs of millions of Americans by funding necessary domestic government programs at levels not seen since the Eisenhower Administration, the vision of America we project to the world today is that of a country that is failing at its most basic tasks. 

 

“Thankfully, there is a way out of this self-inflicted crisis: Congress can simply cancel the sequester.  I have introduced a one-sentence bill, H.R. 900, the ‘Cancel the Sequester Act’ which would do just that.  The time for debate is over.  It is time for Congress to act.  It’s time for Congress to protect our constituents from Washington’s dysfunction and cancel the sequester.”   

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©