Congresswoman Laura Richardson Speaks in Opposition to the "Sequester Replacement Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012"
Press Release
Congresswoman Laura Richardson announced her strong opposition today to the proposed Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act. The Act aims to cut funding to critical safety --net programs that millions of people rely on.
H.R. 5652 makes cuts in the supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the program formerly known as food stamps) that would result in reducing benefits for all 46 million SNAP participants--one million of whom live in Los Angeles County -- and terminate assistance for at least two million.
"I will vote against the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012becayse my constituents did not send me to Congress to make the wrong choice for our nation. The Republican budget sequester bill places the burden for the nation's financial crisis squarely on the shoulders of the middle class and the poor, while failing to ask anything of those most able to contribute toward economic recovery."
Low-income households who do not lose benefits altogether will face monthly reductions of $50, $60, or even $90 a month. In 2010, SNAP kept 4.4 million people from being poor, 1 million of whom were lifted out of poverty just from the increase in SNAP benefits that began in 2009. Congresswoman Richardson recognizes that what this country needs now is for responsible leaders to work together to come to an agreement, but not one that takes large items like revenue and defense off the table, all while repealing programs like the Social Services Block Grant.
This unique grant allows states to help their citizens become more self-sufficient by providing child care, preventing and addressing child abuse, and supporting care for the elderly and disabled. Slashing the Social Services Block Grant program in an effort to avoid the defense cuts reflects poorly upon those who propose to do so.
"This abomination is unworthy of a civilized nation. Little wonder that so many faith-based and leading national organizations, from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the National Education Association oppose this bill," said Congresswoman Richardson.
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