Action Alert – A Fair Budget Deal
Contact: Your Representative and Senators www.senate.gov www.house.gov
Message: Urge them to support a fair budget that will put people and not the Pentagon, first. They need to make spending decisions that reflect our nation’s values, with particular attention to those living in poverty
Timeline: Congress has reconvened in Washington for its lame duck session. The next several weeks are critical as Members are expected to address alternative proposal to avoid sequestration and address the deficit.
Background:
Urge Congress to SUPPORT a budget deal that will:
- Create good jobs
- Expand the Child tax Credit, EITC benefits and Unemployment Insurance
- Make significant cuts to the Pentagon budget
- Create an alternative minimum tax that would affect only those who can afford to give a little more
- Support a financial transaction tax also known as the Robin Hood Tax
And DOES NOT:
- Cut programs protecting for people who are vulnerable: SNAP (food stamps), Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security
- Renew the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthiest 2%.
This would create a budget that protects people who are vulnerable and does not increase inequality. This is the kind of budget we need.
Faithful alternatives to the sequester:
- Protect programs that make a real difference in the lives of poor and vulnerable people.
- Ensure that deficit reduction does not increase poverty.
- Raise new revenues through a more progressive tax code
- Maintain robust, refundable Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, two strong anti- poverty measures.
- Include military spending cuts, so deficit reduction does not happen only on the backs of the most poor and vulnerable in this nation.
The upcoming sequestration needs to be rooted in our values – a balanced approach that addresses the deficit crisis with justice and compassion.
The nation’s deficit crisis cannot be solved through spending cuts alone – new revenues must be part of the solution. The need is great and the resources are abundant. The budget choices we make must reflect this reality.
For more information and updates NETWORK
