Action Alert: Urge Congress to Take Action to Protect Vital Programs

Today Friday March 1st, $85 billion in spending cuts will take effect, as mandated by the Budget Control Act, and will leave millions of Americans without any recourse. The sequestration will include cuts to domestic programs by 9% and over 13% cuts to the U.S. Department of Defense over the course of the next 7 months.

The overall impact of the sequester will account for $31.4 billion in cuts to domestic programs that include WIC and Head Start. These cuts will have significant consequences to critical programs for child care, housing, home energy, homeless aid, education, and work force training. Specifically, the $85 billion in cuts will leave 70,000 children without Head Start and 30,000 others without child care; and 600,000 children and mothers will see cuts to WIC nutrition aid. At a time with high unemployment rates, the sequester will impact families living paycheck to paycheck because unemployment benefits will also be cut. Also, 125,000 families will not be able to receive rental housing vouchers, nor will they have assistance to help pay for home energy costs. Agencies like the U.S. Department of Education will face a 7.8% reduction; and workforce training services will also be cut.

It is imperative that our Members of Congress hear from you. They must know that cuts to domestic programs which serve low-and-moderate income families will do nothing to stimulate the economy or rectify our country’s budgetary inadequacies. In fact, irresponsible cuts will cause irreparable harm as countless of layoffs will leave crucial agencies inadequately staffed to properly oversee the country’s food safety and air traffic control agencies.

We need a balanced solution to resolving the nation’s debt. Without Congressional action, we could lose an estimated 750,000 jobs and our economic growth in 2013 could be cut by half, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

LULAC urges you to contact your Member of Congress, contact your Representatives and encourage him/her to find revenue building alternatives to these drastic and harmful cuts.