Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012

Floor Speech

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Mr. HOYER. I want to thank my friend, Mr. Van Hollen, for the work he's done.

I want to rise in opposition to this focus on Federal employees. First of all, Federal employees have contributed $75 billion over the last 2 years towards helping us reduce the deficit--$75 billion. No other working American has been asked to do that.

You treat Federal employees in this House as second-class working people. That's wrong. This is a 5 percent tax increase on Federal employees. Nobody else, nobody else do we ask--the richest people in America we don't ask to solve this deficit problem. But Federal employees, yes, a $75 billion contribution. And you don't blink an eye because it's easy, because we demagogue about government and, by association, we demagogue about bureaucrats used as an epithet.

These are, as Mr. Van Hollen pointed out, people who protect our food, try to make sure that we can find cures for cancer, protect us from terrorism, guard our borders. That's who we're talking about. And we treat them as second-class citizens. That's wrong. It's wrong for our country, it's wrong for the American people, and it's wrong for us as an institution representing the government of this country.

Ladies and gentlemen, reject this. I'm going to

talk about other aspects of this so-called reconciliation bill at a future date. But I ask you on this basis alone: federal employees--I will tell you as one who represents a large number of them--are ready to participate in helping to bring down this deficit and meet this crisis. But do not ask them to do it alone.

That's what Mr. Van Hollen says about oil companies, big corporations, loopholes, and the wealthiest in America. Don't simply ask more from those who have less and ask less from those who have more. That is not good policy. Let us not pursue it.

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Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the challenging times we live in force

us to make difficult choices about our priorities. The reconciliation bill before us today is an example of choosing the wrong priorities.

While we must address our deficits and avert sequestration, the Republican reconciliation bill does it absolutely the wrong way. It places the entire burden of deficit reduction on the most vulnerable while asking nothing of the best off. Indeed, it asks for more from those who have less, and less from those who have more. It harms seniors and children by eliminating Social Services Block Grants, which provide for programs for our communities like child protection services and Meals on Wheels.

They say they're getting rid of fraud, waste, and abuse--I've heard that for 31 years--while they added $6.4 trillion to the deficit. It slashes food stamp funding by $33.2 billion. They say that's waste, fraud, and abuse. CBO does not agree. It's real assistance to families in need. Furthermore, it cuts the pay of middle class workers who serve the public--the only workers it adversely affects.

These are the priorities we've seen throughout the Republican budget: Ending the Medicare guarantee, slashing jobs while cutting taxes for the wealthiest at the expense of seniors. The gentleman from Wisconsin says this bill doesn't do that. He's correct. His budget did that.

Middle class families and those who are the most vulnerable pay the price.

Democrats have our own proposal. Unfortunately, it wasn't made in order. As the gentleman from Maryland, my colleague said, you only had to waive one rule as opposed to the three you waived for your budget, but you wouldn't do it because you didn't want to have the American public see the real alternatives out here. I regret that. To that extent, you closed down this rule which you railed so much against.

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Mr. HOYER. Unlike today's Republican bill, our proposal reduces deficits in a balanced way and prevents sequestration through a balanced combination of spending cuts and revenues.

And let me say something: Nobody is asked to make a sacrifice in the richest country on Earth; what we have to do is make appropriate contributions. Nobody is asked to make a sacrifice--and certainly not the most vulnerable in our country, as does this reconciliation bill.

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