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2012? What about 2011?
Author: Raine
Date: 02/17/2011 13:51:21
There is much talk about the FY 2012 budget. It's painful, it's belt tightening and as I have previously said -- no one likes it. That is completely understandable. I think, however we are getting ahead of ourselves. Why? There is no budget for Fiscal year 2011. We, as a nation, are currently running on 2010 spending levels. So what is congress doing about it?
Take a look at H.R.1, also known as The 2011 Continuing resolution, it already has over 400 amendments attached to it. Think Progress has done the heavy lifting here, and took a look at some of them. Specifically they focused on those that address climate change. It isn't pretty. Here is a sample: This list doesn't include the current GOP assault on women's rights. , which includes defunding women's health clinics. Keep all this in mind as I tell you that we are already 5 months into fiscal year 2011. The GOP has had control of the house for little more than a month. At this rate, I wonder if we'll have a budget by the end of the fiscal year. While it is important to be concerned with the Presidents budget proposal for 2012, we are faced with a very serious issue with a radical agenda that is poised to destroy our climate, hurt children and decimate a woman's right to choose.
LIHEAP and PELL grants are important, and I understand why people are upset about the proposed cuts, we need to be concerned with what is happening now. For example, The GOP's cuts to the PELL grant program are far more devastating than any the President proposed in his budget for 2012. There is a very real chance that if this resolution is passed as it is now, it will be vetoed. The President has indicated that he would do so. According to Think Progress, 'One need look no further than the federal government shutdown of 1995 for proof. During the nearly four-week shutdown, Social Security checks were not mailed and Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements were disrupted. According to a Center for American Progress report entitled “The Big Freeze,” the shutdown ultimately “cost the American taxpayer over $800 million and rattled the confidence of international investors in U.S. government bonds.” Keep in mind, that was 800 million dollars in 1995, 16 years ago.
It's rough trying to juggle so many critical issues, but for myself, I am far more concerned about this continuing resolution. It's devastating to the American people. and even more so, it doesn't do anything to stimulate the economy. It actually hurts it.
and 
Take a look at H.R.1, also known as The 2011 Continuing resolution, it already has over 400 amendments attached to it. Think Progress has done the heavy lifting here, and took a look at some of them. Specifically they focused on those that address climate change. It isn't pretty. Here is a sample:
– Eliminate the White House Council on Environmental Quality, the Special Envoy for Climate Change, the Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, the NOAA Climate Service, the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, National Science Foundation K-12 funding
– Block US funding for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Global Environment Facility
– Suspend enforcement of fisheries laws and construction and conservation acquisition programs of the National Parks and Department of the Interior
– Block rules for cement plant pollution, coal ash, industrial boiler pollution, water quality, climate change pollution, climate change adaptation, energy-efficient lighting, mountaintop removal, atrazine, and water conservation
Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) this week introduced an amendment to the continuing resolution, which funds the government, that would prohibit any federal money from going to Planned Parenthood of America for women's health services, gynecological exams, access to birth control, HIV testing, private care, or infertility counseling. The continuing resolution proposed by Republicans also slashes or eliminates funding for many programs crucial to women's health: it would completely eliminate the Title X domestic family planning programs, and would also dramatically cut, by $758 million, the Women Infant Children (WIC) program, which provides food for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women. The Republican CR proposal also includes a $210 million cut in Maternal and Child Health block grants.
LIHEAP and PELL grants are important, and I understand why people are upset about the proposed cuts, we need to be concerned with what is happening now. For example, The GOP's cuts to the PELL grant program are far more devastating than any the President proposed in his budget for 2012. There is a very real chance that if this resolution is passed as it is now, it will be vetoed. The President has indicated that he would do so. According to Think Progress, 'One need look no further than the federal government shutdown of 1995 for proof. During the nearly four-week shutdown, Social Security checks were not mailed and Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements were disrupted. According to a Center for American Progress report entitled “The Big Freeze,” the shutdown ultimately “cost the American taxpayer over $800 million and rattled the confidence of international investors in U.S. government bonds.” Keep in mind, that was 800 million dollars in 1995, 16 years ago.
It's rough trying to juggle so many critical issues, but for myself, I am far more concerned about this continuing resolution. It's devastating to the American people. and even more so, it doesn't do anything to stimulate the economy. It actually hurts it.
and 
