President Obama's Weekly Address1/31/15: A Path Towards a Thriving Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC — In this week’s address, the President described the progress our economy has made, laying a foundation for a future that prioritizes middle-class economics. This week, the President will send a budget to Congress centered on the idea that everyone who works hard should have the chance to get ahead. His plan will reverse harmful sequestration cuts and instead make paychecks go further, create good jobs here in the United States, and prepare hardworking Americans to earn higher wages. The President made the case for his Budget, and affirmed his commitment to doing everything he can to ensure more Americans can get ahead in this new economy.

Sequester Takes Food from the Mouths of Seniors in Need

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Congressman calls for an end to across the board GOP spending cuts hitting Meals on Wheels

Long Branch, NJ— On Monday, May 6, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) visited Interfaith Neighbors, which operates a Meals on Wheels program in Asbury Park that has been strained due to the federal across the board budget cuts known as the sequester. Pallone called for a complete reversal of the cuts and noted their impact on the elderly, infirmed and homebound.

“Cuts to programs like Meals on Wheels are a perfect example of why Republican approach to indiscriminate, blind cuts are such a bad idea,” said Pallone. “Meals on Wheels addresses the very serious issue of hunger in our communities, enabling seniors to live longer in their homes by proving food and companionship. Limiting the ability of Meals on Wheels to provide those in need with food is unconscionable. Congress must fully repeal these destructive cuts and work on an approach to fix our deficit sensibly.”

Meals on Wheels offers seniors better health through the combination of a hot, nutritious meal and an opportunity for companionship. Interfaith Neighbors’ Meals on Wheels program is funded through U.S. Department of Agriculture reimbursements, Monmouth County grants, and donations. Interfaith serves nearly 400,000 meals per year and, as a result of the federal budget cuts, will provide 32,000 fewer meals to seniors.

The meals are nutritionally well balanced and planned by a registered dietitian on staff. The meals are available Monday through Friday from 10:00 a. m. to 2:00 p. m., and a limited weekend and holiday meal program is provided for the most needy and frail homebound seniors who have no one else to care for them. Meals on Wheels serves seniors over the age of sixty and a limited number of younger disabled persons as well.

Interfaith Neighbors, Inc. is a non-profit New Jersey Corporation, supported by over 90 religious congregations of all denominations plus hundreds of private donors as well as corporations, charitable gift trusts and foundations.

Congressman Pallone voted against the sequester, a set of indiscriminate federal budget cuts that went into effect March 1.

More Than 18 Every Day

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:


As I have written to you previously, before today is out, if it is like every other day, at least 18 more veterans will have taken their own lives. In each of the past two years, I have obtained $40 million for military suicide prevention and outreach. Rep. Jon Runyan, a New Jersey Republican, has been a partner in this endeavor.

On Tuesday, at a press conference at the World War II Memorial in Trenton, we urged continued action to prevent military and veteran suicide. Ninety-seven of our colleagues in the U.S. House have joined us on a letter urging continuation of the $40 million again this year.


At the press conference, we spoke about the Vets4Warriors program, which connects veterans to peer counselors. Linda Bean, the mother of Sgt. Coleman S. Bean, who took his own life after returning from service in Iraq, spoke movingly about the need for greater outreach.

Veterans who are struggling with the emotional, physical, family or career consequences of their service can call 1-855-VET-TALK (1-855-838-8255), 24 hours a day. The call is free, and all counselors are veterans.

Not Just Air Traffic Controllers

Following debate soaked in hypocrisy last week, Congress voted to excuse air traffic controllers from the across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester.

The legislation was presented by the authors of the sequester. I wonder what government services they next will decide are invaluable and irreplaceable.

Curiosity, Hope, and Fidelity to Facts

This week I attended an assembly of the National Academy of Sciences where President Obama, recognizing the 150th anniversary of the Academy, said, “What is so necessary for us to continue our scientific advance and to maintain our cutting-edge… is restless curiosity and boundless hope, but also a fidelity to facts and truth, and a willingness to follow where the evidence leads.” I appreciate having a President who has such a good understanding of the nature of science.

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, Members of Congress were showing fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of science. Chairman Smith of the Science Committee proposed that no project of the National Science Foundation be approved unless the Director certifies in advance that it will enhance the U.S. economy or security in some specific, identifiable way. Presidential Science Advisor John Holdren responded that funded research should be measured by the time-tested process of peer review, not official certification.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

President Obama's Weekly Address 4/27/13: Time to Replace the Sequester with a Balanced Approach to Deficit Reduction

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said that because Republicans in Congress allowed a series of harmful, automatic budget cuts—called the sequester—to take effect, important programs like Head Start are now forced to reduce their services. After travelers were stuck for hours in airports and on planes this past week, members of Congress passed a temporary band-aid measure to stop the cuts that impact airlines — but they must do more to stop cuts to vital services for the American people. That’s why it’s time for a balanced approach to deficit reduction that makes smarter cuts and reforms in the tax code while creating jobs and strengthening the middle class.

Pallone Statement on Legislation Allowing FAA Flexibility In Staffing Shortages

Washington, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) released the following statement regarding legislation passed today in the House of Representatives allowing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to prevent furloughs that have caused airport delays around the country as a result of budget sequestration:

“Today’s vote to allow the FAA the flexibility to prevent the furloughs that have slowed flight air travel and caused hours of delays at our nation’s airports, was a glaring example of why the automatic, across the board cuts known as the sequester are such a bad idea. While I voted for this bill to help restore normalcy to air travel, it does nothing to meet the other pressing needs and critical programs that are being slashed by sequestration.

“I have opposed the sequester since it was first conceived. The idea that across the board, blind cuts could be used as a vehicle to reduce spending is foolhardy and dangerous. The sequester cuts seriously hurt our economy, debilitate programs Americans rely on, and put our public safety at risk. Budgets are statements of priorities, and by pursuing a piecemeal approach to fixing the sequester, we are being asked to place a higher value on airline delays in lieu of Head Start, the Supplemental Nutrition Program Assistance Program (SNAP) , funding for science and research, FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, and public safety to name only a few.

“Members of Congress are elected to work together and act in the best interests of our constituents to make tough decision on things like federal spending. Sequestration represents a failure of that charge by House Republicans and sadly, as the effects of this wrongheaded plan become more and more apparent, it is likely that we will see more acts of desperation like today’s vote, rather than a long term fix that truly addresses the needs of Americans.”

The Hardship Is Only Beginning To Be Felt

The following is from Congressman Rush Holt's newsletter:

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed – over my objections – the so-called Ryan budget, a grim and pessimistic vision for America’s future authored by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan.

If the plan of the budget resolution were made real in appropriations legislation, it would, according to estimates by the Economic Policy Institute, cost 2 million jobs next year. It would eliminate the mandatory Pell Grant program, a cut of $98 billion, and let interest rates double on student loans. It would cut key transportation investments by more than 20 percent. It would slash Medicaid support by $810 billion, and it would end the Medicare guarantee on which seniors depend.

If that sounds familiar, it should. This Ryan budget is a barely warmed over version of last year’s Ryan budget, which was so thoroughly debated during last year’s election – and so soundly rejected by voters.

It is important to remember that a House budget is only a roadmap and does not have the force of law. However, budget sequestration, which already is in effect, and the Appropriations Legislation passed today are binding. The resulting hardship is only beginning to be felt.

A Shameful Anniversary

As we now recognize that it has been 10 years since American troops were sent into Iraq, it is worth remembering that the Iraq war was a shameful example of the victory of ideology over evidence. Indeed, some leaders were so tied to their ideology that they deluded themselves and the public at the cost of more than 100,000 American and Iraqi lives.

People often ask me whether my decision to vote against the Iraq war was a difficult one. In advance of that vote, I worked hard and thought hard to examine the evidence about whether military action would improve America’s security. But ultimately, it was an easy vote once it became clear that there was no justification to go to war.

On a Collision Course

Earlier this week, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology – spurred to action by the February meteor in Chelyabinsk, Russia that injured more than 1,500 people – held a hearing to examine methods of detecting asteroids and comets that might impact the Earth.

The Chelyabinsk meteor was, to be sure, an exceedingly unusual event; an impact of this magnitude occurs only once a century or so. Even more rarely, far larger rocks fall from the sky: Every 100 million years or so, the Earth is hit by a meteor large enough to cause mass extinctions, like the one at the end of the age of dinosaurs.

As I wrote in a Washington Post op-ed with my colleague Donna Edwards, while the threats posed by meteors are miniscule on a day-to-day basis, surely any existential threat to the human race must be taken seriously. In particular, we should provide NASA with the support necessary to meet a 2005 Congressional mandate that it detect 90 percent of all near-Earth asteroids larger than about 500 feet in diameter. Congress also should take seriously a possibility that has been raised by senior military officials: that a meteor impact might be misinterpreted as a nuclear strike, leading to dangerous overreactions from nuclear-armed states.

Recently I discussed these concerns with the journalist Chuck Todd. A video of our conversation is available online.

Sincerely,

Rush Holt
Member of Congress

Boehner 'happy' to see sequester cuts happen

In a video released Friday, Democrats launched the latest salvo in the finger-pointing game over which party is to blame for the $85 billion in automatic cuts, which launched March 1. As the video repeatedly points out, House Speaker John Boehner got,"I got 98 percent of what I wanted, I'm pretty happy."



Hat Tip - thehill.com

President Obama's Weekly Address 3/9/13: End the Sequester to Keep Growing the Economy

WASHINGTON, DC— In his weekly address, President Obama said that businesses have created jobs every month for three years straight – nearly 6.4 million altogether, and have added 246,000 new jobs in February. We must keep this momentum going, and that’s why the President recently met with Republican leaders to discuss how we can replace the harmful, arbitrary budget cuts, called the “sequester,” with balanced deficit reduction. By working together, the President is confident we can reduce the budget by investing in areas that help us grow, and cutting what we don’t need.

The Employment Situation in February

From the White House blog

Today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that private sector businesses added 246,000 jobs in February. The economy has now added private sector jobs every month for three straight years, and a total of 6.35 million jobs have been added over that period.

While more work remains to be done, today’s employment report provides evidence that the recovery that began in mid-2009 is gaining traction. Today’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows that private sector businesses added 246,000 jobs in February. Total non-farm payroll employment rose by 236,000 jobs last month. The economy has now added private sector jobs every month for three straight years, and a total of 6.35 million jobs have been added over that period.

The household survey showed that the unemployment rate fell from 7.9 percent in January to 7.7 percent in February, the lowest since December 2008. The labor force participation rate edged down 0.1 percentage point to 63.5 percent in February.

It is important to bear in mind that the reference period for today’s surveys was the week of February 10-16 for the household survey and the pay period containing February 12th for the establishment survey, both of which were before sequestration began. The Administration continues to urge Congress to move toward a sustainable Federal budget in a responsible way that balances tax loophole closing, entitlement reform, and sensible spending cuts, while making critical investments in the economy that promote growth and job creation and protecting our most vulnerable citizens.

According to the establishment survey, in February employment rose notably in professional and business services (+73,000), construction (+48,000), health care (+32,000), leisure and hospitality (+24,000), and retail trade (+23,700). Manufacturing gained 14,000 jobs in February. The manufacturing sector has added over half a million jobs over the last 37 months, the most for any such period since 1986. In the last two years the construction sector has added 306,000 jobs, with half of that increase occurring in the last five months. State and local governments lost 10,000 jobs in February, mostly in education. The local government education sector has now lost 340,700 jobs since its recent peak in November 2009.

As the Administration stresses every month, the monthly employment and unemployment figures can be volatile, and payroll employment estimates can be subject to substantial revision. Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report and it is informative to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.

The 32 Dumbest And Most Devastating Sequester Cuts

And they go on and on and on....

From ThinkProgress.org

Health care

$20 million cut from the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Programs
$10 million cut from the World Trade Center Health Program Fund
$168 million cut from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
$75 million cut from the Aging and Disability Services Programs

Housing

$199 million cut from public housing
$96 million cut from Homeless Assistance Grants
$17 million cut from Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS
$19 million cut from Housing for the Elderly
$175 million cut from Low Income Home Energy Assistance

Disaster and Emergency

$928 million cut from FEMA’s disaster relief money
$6 million cut from Emergency Food and Shelter
$70 million cut from the Agricultural Disaster Relief Fund at USDA
$61 million cut from the Hazardous Substance Superfund at EPA
$125 million cut from the Wildland Fire Management
$53 million cut from Salaries and Expenses at the Food Safety and Inspection Service

Obamacare

$13 million cut from the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Program (Co-ops)
$57 million cut from the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control
$51 million cut from the Prevention and Public Health Fund
$27 million cut from the State Grants and Demonstrations
$44 million cut from the Affordable Insurance Exchange Grants program

Education

$633 million cut from the Department of Education’s Special Education programs
$184 million cut from Rehabilitation Services and Disability Research
$71 million cut from administration at the Office of Federal Student Aid
$116 million cut from Higher Education
$86 million cut from Student Financial Assistance

Immigration

$512 million cut from Customs and Border Protection
$17 million cut from Automation Modernization, Customs and Border Protection
$20 million cut from Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology

Security

$79 million cut from Embassy Security, Construction, and Maintenance
$604 million cut from National Nuclear Security Administration
$232 million cut from the Federal Aviation Administration
$394 million cut from Defense Environmental Cleanup

The latest projections from the Congressional Budget Office show that the nation’s deficits have shrunk by trillions of dollars, and the debt is close to being stabilized as a percentage of the economy. Meanwhile, budget cuts have already reduced spending by $1.5 trillion and even with the revenue included in the fiscal cliff deal, the ratio of cuts to revenue stands at an unbalanced 3 to 1.

Where are our priorities?

As a nation we must decide what our priorities are. Do we ensure that children and adults with disabilities receive necessities such as a proper education and roofs over their heads, or is it more important to maintain tax breaks for the wealthiest individuals, such as the mortgage deduction on vacation homes and yachts? We cannot indiscriminately cut crucial services for the vulnerable when there are alternative and less harmful options.

President Obama's Weekly Address 3/2/13: Congress Must Compromise to Stop the Impact of the Sequester

In his weekly address, President Obama tells the American people that a series of harmful budget cuts—called the sequester—have taken effect because Congress failed to act. Because Republicans in Congress refused to compromise to close tax loopholes for the wealthiest Americans, hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose their jobs or see their paycheck reduced, and middle class families will be hurt. Congress must join the President now to replace these cuts with a balanced approach that reduces our deficit while also making smart investments in areas that help our economy grow.

The Sequester

From the White House Blog -

Starting today, our government will need to grapple with a set of arbitrary budget cuts that will hurt the economy, make life harder for middle-class families, and threaten our national security. That's what Washington means when it talks about the sequester.

Not everyone will feel the consequences of these cuts immediately, but if sequestration is allowed to continue, it will make life more difficult for Americans all across the country. That's a fact that no one disputes.

And the reason we are here is because some members of Congress have made a choice to prioritize these cuts over closing tax loopholes for the wealthy. But there is still time for them to make a different choice and undo this manufactured crisis.

Today, President Obama discussed this situation and answered questions from the press. "This is not a win for anybody," he said. "This is a loss for the American people."

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/23/13: Congress Must Act Now to Stop the Sequester

WASHINGTON, DC—President Obama used this week’s address to urge Congress to stop the harmful automatic cuts that threaten thousands of jobs and affect our national security—called the sequester—from taking effect on March 1st. The President and Congressional Democrats have already put forward solutions to avoid these cuts and reduce the deficit in a balanced way, and now it’s time for Congressional Republicans to compromise by closing some loopholes that protect the wealthiest Americans so that we can reduce the deficit in a balanced way and create jobs for the middle class.



Learn more about the Sequester ..... Here

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/16/12: Following the President’s Plan for a Strong Middle Class

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama called for quick action on the proposals he made during the State of the Union to grow our economy and create jobs, including making America a magnet for manufacturing, strengthening our education system through high-quality preschool for every child, and raising the minimum wage. Congress must also act now to avert the sequester, which would be a harmful and self-inflicted wound on our economy, by reducing our deficit in a balanced way that makes investments in areas that help us grow and cuts what we don’t need.

President Obama's Weekly Address 2/9/13: Averting the Sequester and Finding a Balanced Approach to Deficit Reduction

President Obama urges Congress to act to avoid a series of harmful and automatic cuts—called a sequester—from going into effect that would hurt our economy and the middle class and threaten thousands of American jobs. The President urges Congress to find a balanced approach to deficit reduction that makes investments in areas that help us grow and cuts what we don’t need.