Congresswoman Kaptur Calls Sequester A Threat To A Key Mission At NASA Glenn Research Center

Statement

The looming sequester threatens the economic recovery and Ohio's most vulnerable citizens. Appearing on MSNBC, Congresswoman Kaptur expressed hope that Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich would help convince Speaker John Boehner to negotiate a balanced agreement and avert the damage of the sequester.

Congresswoman Kaptur explained that sequestration directly threatens an important research mission at NASA Glenn Research Center in Brook Park. She said the cryogenic propellant program, one of Glenn's two major missions, is vulnerable to the impact of the sequester.

"We think we're going to lose the cryogenic hydrogen program," if sequestration takes effect, Congresswoman Kaptur said. Also, at least some construction projects at the Brook Park facility will be scrapped to the detriment of the local economy.

Congresswoman Kaptur, a member of the Appropriations defense subcommittee, said Ohio stands to lose thousands of defense-related jobs to sequestration, at least temporarily, including more than 26,000 personnel at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton and National Guard and Reserve facilities across the state.

"…We are a state that is crawling its way forward to recovery. We don't need more job loss or underinvestment…" Kaptur said.

She questioned why, with "so many loopholes in the tax code," disabled children, senior citizens and unemployed workers should "pay the price for those that are offshoring jobs and not paying their fair share of the load?"

Congresswoman Kaptur, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, appeared as a guest on "The ED Show" along with colleagues John Garamendi (CA-3) and Keith Ellison (MN-5).

"Why should the unemployed in Ohio or anywhere have their unemployment benefits cut by nine to 11 percent? We're talking about millions of Americans who are living at the edge. And our senior citizens who are going to have their nutrition programs cut. In Ohio, three quarters of a million dollars cut out of those programs. What are they going to do, give them fewer green beans?" she said.

"The Republicans, at least this particular group, care more about manufacturing crises than manufacturing jobs. And we have to hold the line. We know that there's a lot of ill will toward the president: he won the election. And what they're trying to do, though, is to stop his program in its tracks because they're not satisfied with what happened last November. But they shouldn't do this to the American people."

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