I agree with Republicans that it's vital to decrease the deficit and stop frivolous spending, and raising the debt ceiling is crucial to prevent a national and worldwide economic tragedy... I completely disagree with their way of doing it.
The 'Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023' places the burden of our deficit on the backs of hardworking families and leaves so many of our Nation's most vulnerable people without life-sustaining services.
The bill would return discretionary spending to 2022 levels, limit annual spending growth to 1%, and much more.
It exempts defense spending, but not the veterans. What does this mean? All other discretionary spending would be immediately reduced by 22% and only increase by 1% annually thereafter, with more pain and suffering in the coming years.
If applied equally to the remaining programs, there are some severe consequences. The GOP budget could:
Eliminate 30 million outpatient appointments for Veterans.
Terminate 81,000 jobs at the Veterans Health Administration.
Reduce up to 108,000 teachers, aides, or other key staff.
Kick 10 million people off food stamps, including our children, seniors, and veterans
Take away Meals on Wheels from more than 1 million seniors.
Encourage millionaires to cheat taxes with slashes to IRS.
Layoff 108,000 teachers in schools with low-income students and kids with disabilities
Cut 200,000 children out of Head Start programs.
Eliminate funding for housing for over 630,000 low-income households, including 190,000 households headed by seniors and 50,000 Veterans.
Eliminate 2,400 Customs and Border Protection agents from protecting our border.
Terminate 3,200 jobs at FEMA who are responding to our disasters across the Nation.
Effectively paralyze our air safety and the FAA.
Cut access to childcare for 180,000 children.
End vital assistance to 1.7 million women, infants, and children enrolled in the Women, Infants, and Children Program.
Put more than 10 million people at risk of losing their health coverage.
Eliminate many clean energy incentives.
These consequences aren't just line items in a budget; they're people's lives, not to mention other reductions in science, education, transportation, energy, the environment, climate, labor and research, food safety inspections, rail safety, research on cancer and other diseases, and public safety.
The goal is to reduce our $21 trillion deficit by $4.8 trillion over the next 10 years. While I agree with the goal, I fundamentally disagree with the plan. Other solutions don't place the burden of our deficit on the backs of hardworking families and our country's most vulnerable.
Congress is bound to follow the Constitution and provide for the general welfare of its citizens.
We, the people of the United States, in order to form a perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
This budget isn't the way.
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" -Luke 23:34