Important discussions have been happening this summer as members of Congress debate how to balance the federal budget and address the national deficit. Many of the deficit reduction proposals would severely affect Nebraska’s most vulnerable populations and have a negative impact on our state’s economy.
Several proposals being considered would reduce the deficit by implementing deep spending cuts in public assistance programs, harsh caps on spending, or by restructuring programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and SNAP (formerly food stamps).
These approaches are out of step with the bi-partisan Bowles-Simpson deficit reduction commission, which has promoted important core principles for deficit reduction proposals: design them in ways that protect vulnerable populations and do not increase poverty or inequality.
At Nebraska Appleseed, we too believe that the President and Congress should take a balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes both spending cuts and new revenues. Reducing the deficit without new revenues means that the federal government would be forced to implement massive cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Reducing the deficit without revenues would also protect tax cuts for the top income brackets and corporate tax loopholes.
We urge our elected officials to say NO to proposals, such as the global spending cap, that would force massive cuts in Medicare, Medicaid and other programs that provide economic security for millions of Americans.
Rather, we encourage our elected officials to say YES to a balanced approach that includes revenues and protects low-income Americans without increasing poverty.
Our nation’s budget should reflect our nation’s priorities. Ultimately, we need a balanced approach to deficit reduction.
We call on the President and our Members of Congress to take a balanced approach, one that recognizes the need to address the deficit but also avoids severe cuts in important programs. To learn more, you can review the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities page on the Federal Budget
