Over 80 liberal advocacy groups, unions, and think tanks sent a letter to congressional leaders on Friday, urging them to uphold the debt ceiling deal and reject additional spending cuts. This letter, obtained by HuffPost, was from the ProsperUS Coalition.
The letter called on the House to follow the example set by the Senate and pass appropriations bills that align with the recent bipartisan budget deal, invest adequately in critical national priorities, and garner bipartisan support.
Although the letter was sent to leaders of both the Democratic and Republican parties in the House, Senate, and Appropriations Committees, the coalition of signatories ensures it will be seen as a plea to the Democrats on Capitol Hill to stand firm.
Notable signatories include liberal groups like the Center for American Progress, the Service Employees International Union, and the Economic Policy Institute, as well as newer organizations such as the Working Families Party and the Economic Security Project.
The letter outlines how the proposed spending cuts by the House would negatively impact education programs, lead poisoning prevention, healthcare, safe drinking water, cancer research, and efforts to combat tax evasion by the wealthy. Republicans argue that they are focusing on essential government responsibilities like defense and homeland security.
According to an estimate by the Center for American Progress, the average cut to non-defense programs (excluding veterans care) would be 9.5%, resulting in significant reductions in grants to schools in low-income areas, fruit and vegetable benefits for recipients of the WIC food program, and funding for the Environmental Protection Agency’s safe drinking water program.
Lawmakers left Washington, D.C., on Thursday without passing the necessary bills to fund government agencies, raising the possibility of a government shutdown starting on October 1.
In the House, an attempt to vote on a $826.4 billion Pentagon funding bill faced resistance, with Speaker Kevin McCarthy failing to persuade party members to support the bill. These members have also threatened to vote against a stopgap bill to keep the government running past September 30.
The House Freedom Caucus, a group of staunch Republicans, aims to limit the total funding bills to $1.47 trillion, below the $1.59 trillion spending cap set by the debt ceiling deal.
With only a narrow margin for passing bills with Republican support, Speaker McCarthy faces a challenging task.
Although the bills have received strong bipartisan support in Senate committees, they have yet to reach the Senate floor. The House has passed a military construction and veterans programs bill, awaiting Senate consideration.
The letter highlights the significant compromises already made in the budget deal reached by President Biden and congressional leaders. Therefore, lawmakers are urged to reject further cuts in any final spending agreements.
The ProsperUS groups also call on Hill leaders to agree to a stopgap bill if a full-year funding agreement cannot be reached by September 30. They emphasize that a government shutdown, fueled by unpopular and detrimental cuts, would harm the economic well-being of millions of families.
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