Mar 11, 2011

Headlines: House Republicans’ Wrong Spending Priorities Exposed

Week, after week, after week, American families have learned more about the wrong spending priorities in the Republican spending bill. From slashing national security and veterans benefits to backing away from our commitments to education and research, House Republicans only protect their special interests, not the middle class.

Budget cuts threaten Roanoke's renewal [Roanoke Times]
“For Roanoke, one of the biggest concerns is federal funding it receives from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The city took in a little more than $2 million last year in Community Development Block Grant money, which is targeted for housing development. Those grants, however, face deep cuts -- between 14 percent and 62 percent for this year, and possibly more next year. […] Morrill is also concerned about a 40 percent to 50 percent cut in Community Services Block Grants, which provide funding for nonprofit agencies like Total Action Against Poverty.” [Roanoke Times, 3/6/11]

Budget bill would suspend job funds [Associated Press]
“Nevada would lose $30 million in job training funds under a spending bill passed by the House of Representatives, a move that would reduce but not eliminate programs, officials said Wednesday. Republicans say unused money still is available and that the suspension of Workforce Investment Act funds won't hinder services. Democrats counter the cuts will hurt job seekers in a state that leads the nation in unemployment. Workforce Investment Act money funds the operations and job training programs provided by Nevadaworks in Northern Nevada and Workforce Connections in the south. […] Heck was not immediately available for comment.” [AP, 3/10/11]

State set to lose $71 million in Pell college aid for students [Maryland Gazette]
“More than 100,000 Maryland college students could lose $71 million in financial aid next year if spending cuts passed by the U.S. House of Representatives become law, according to a report released March 3. The cuts to the federal Pell Grant program passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives would reduce the maximum grant for an individual student by $845 to $4,705 for the next school year, information provided by the Maryland Public Interest Research Group showed. The lower maximum award would represent about a 15 percent reduction. Total funding for Pell grants in Maryland would be reduced from $340.7 million to $269.7 million next year. […] Harris' office did not respond to requests for comment.” [Maryland Gazette, 3/10/11]

Ports security funds may take severe hit [Courier Post]
“Two agencies overseeing heavily trafficked waters at opposite ends of New Jersey could see Homeland Security grants cut by more than two-thirds. A budget bill passed largely on party lines last month would slash an annual allocation to the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River and Bay to $5.3 million, down from nearly $16 million in fiscal year 2010. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey would see its share reduced to $11.2 million, from $33.8 million. […] Grants are used to purchase fire and patrol boats, and fencing, lighting and surveillance equipment designed to bolster security, she added. […] Republicans did not immediately return calls for comment on the proposed security grant reductions for the Port Authority and Maritime Exchange.” [Courier Post, 3/6/11]

People rally in Bozeman against cutting federal funding to programs [KXLF]
“A group of citizens gathered at 7th Avenue and Main Street in Bozeman at noon Thursday to voice their concerns about HR1, a House Resolution Bill that contains a mass budget cuts to many federally funded programs. Rally participants said it would cut budgets for important services like Planned Parenthood and AmeriCorps, among others. [..]” [KXLF, 3/11/11]

Budget Battle May Damage Area Jobs [Daily Press]
“The ongoing spending battle in Congress could lead to layoffs at the region's federal-spending dependent employers, including Jefferson Lab and the Newport News shipyard.[…] Newport News' Jefferson Lab, officially the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, may be forced to lay off 300 employees, said Robert D. McKeown, the lab's deputy director for science. The Department of Energy nuclear physics lab typically employs 800 to 1,100 people. The House cuts could strip the lab of $15 million, or roughly 15 percent, of its 2011 budget. […] The stopgap budget also holds significant cuts to port security grants that help pay for extra equipment, training and technology throughout Hampton Roads.” [Daily Press, 3/5/11]

Jeopardy for Argonne, literally [Chicago Tribune]
“The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was quick to capitalize on Argonne's newfound fame because the federal funding that makes Argonne's research possible is actually in jeopardy.  As budget battles in Washington rage on, some Republican lawmakers are calling for cuts to Argonne and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory that could result in losses of 1,400 jobs, according to the committee.” [Chicago Tribune, 3/10/11]

Michigan Works! Could be cut by House budget [Petoskey News]
“Two weeks ago the GOP House leadership, along with 87 new Republican members, unveiled a budget with more than $61 billion in proposed budget cuts. Among the detailed cuts is a $3.6 billion reduction in spending for the Workforce Investment Act, which largely funds Michigan Works! offices across the state. In the northern Lower Peninsula, Northwest Michigan Works represents 10 counties with offices in Cadillac, Kalkaska, Manistee, Petoskey and Traverse City, providing resources for out-of-work and transitional area residents with services such as resume writing classes, links to continued education and job searching resources.” [Petoskey News, 3/4/11]

Parents fight for Head Start [Hattiesburg American]
“The mother of three joined about 50 Mississippians on a four-day trip to Washington this week to lobby for protecting Head Start from the budget-cutting axe. The program provides educational and other services for low-income children. The House recently passed a fiscal 2011 spending bill that would cut $1 billion - or 15 percent - in Head Start funding, according to CLASP, an advocacy group for low-income people. The proposal could mean 5,523 fewer children would be served by Mississippi's Head Start program, the group said.” [Harriesburg American, 3/8/11]

Federal budget cuts expected to hurt big-umbrella entitlement program [Naperville Sun Times]
“With Congress looking at a proposal to make its budget $100 billion leaner, funding for the Community Development Block Grant program could be cut by more than half. Sitting in the path of the fiscal ax are assorted services and resources that have been heavily used in recent years to help local residents feeling the effects of the economic doldrums. No one knows yet how much tighter the resources will go.[…]  The largest community investment line item in the current year’s DuPage action plan is $420,000 for Villa Park’s storm sewer system. Among social service agencies, the domestic violence-focused Family Shelter Service in Wheaton is in line for $128,970 in CDBG support. The county-run Children’s Advocacy Center for kids victimized by sexual and physical violence is given $350,000 in the 2010-level plan, and another $225,000 is identified as support for the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Housing activities are eligible for $559,354.” [Naperville Sun Times, 3/6/11]

Undercutting the future [Las Vegas Sun]
“The Obama administration pledged to give plant developer SolarReserve loan guarantees this year to get the project off the ground. But, as Karoun Demirjian reported in Thursday’s Las Vegas Sun, the project may not get the guarantees because House Republicans recently voted to ax the loan guarantee program.  Why?  Republicans don’t like it because it involves renewable energy, which they apparently find detestable, and because the program was born out of the stimulus bill, which they pledged to kill.  Once again Republicans have let their blind ideology trump what’s good for the nation.” [Las Vegas Sun, 3/7/11]

U.S. House votes to cut funds for Medina County job training [The Medina-Gazette]
“He said he was expecting some cuts in federal funding that would require Medina County Workforce Development to tighten its belt, “but we didn’t expect decapitation,” he said.

He called the all-out cut of WIA dollars “draconian.” “It’s a very difficult time right now with the budget deficit being as high as it is. We’re definitely hearing that very clearly. But what we’re trying to do is getting people into jobs. This is an inopportune time” to cut funding for that,” he said. Jim Doutt, who sits on the Medina County Workforce Policy Committee, said the cuts would be devastating.” [The Medina-Gazette, 3/1/11]

“We the People” Program Faced Federal Funding [Bakersfield Californian]
“Educators in Kern County were planning to rally in an effort to convince Congressman McCarthy not to cut the ‘We The People’ constitutional education program. The competition among high school students tested constitutional knowledge so students could gain critical thinking skills, teamwork skills and learn. Republicans in the House called for the elimination of funding for Teach for America, Reading is Fundamental and We the People. If funding wasn’t restored within the next two weeks for the program it could be gone. It was reported that ‘McCarthy could not be reached by press time.’”  [Bakersfield Californian, 3/8/11]

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