Cole / Nicole LeFavour

Notes From the Floor

Former Idaho Senator Cole / Nicole Legislative Blog

Congressional Budget Cuts Decimating Jobs

Nicole 2 smile 1823As a member of the House Budget Committee today voting to oppose a
continuing resolution to keep

from shutting every federal agency and
service down, Rep. Mike Simpson does little to offer solutions to the
current budget stalemate.

As a state lawmaker who has served for four
years balancing Idaho budgets and dealing with fiscal crises, it seems
clear to me that those offering a "cuts only" approach to eliminating
the deficit and passing a budget, have created not only this impasse but
in part also created our nation's continuing economic crisis.

Over the course of the past five years federal budget cuts have
eliminated more than 600,000 American jobs. Congress still pays
unemployment benefits to a great number of these workers. We have to
ask, if job creation is the most critical key to economic recovery, why
has congress not restored these jobs so those families again have full
income to support their community's small businesses, American
manufacturers and our nation's economy?

Like many, I fear Congress these past two years has delayed addressing
real economic issues in the interest of keeping the economy down until
after the November election. Essentially they have played politics with
American lives. This sort of partisanship has decimated jobs, families,
security and the values of cooperation and compassion which made this
country great.

It is time for Congressman Simpson to do the real work of proposing a
budget that takes into account that the problem with our deficit goes
beyond simple government spending and has an equal amount to do with
fighting two wars and refusing to roll back eight years of tax cuts that
have benefited the nation's most wealthy, obviously with no positive
economic affect.

Rep. Simpson has voted more than once in favor of the Ryan Budget which
further decimates jobs while cutting and essentially privatizing social
security and Medicare for future generations of American seniors. Paul
Ryan's budget is no solution to our nation's economic problems and is
not a proposal any thinking policy maker would seriously consider as a
compromise to resolve the current budget impasse.

Yes, it is time for Congress to get to work and to take seriously the
affect that repeated cuts have on the economy. It is time for them to
look all of us in the eye and ensure for once they are not decimating
jobs more quickly than America's private sector can create them.

 

Senator Nicole LeFavour grew up on a ranch in rural Custer County in Central Idaho. She’s well-known across the state as a hard working legislator, respected advocate and teacher. In her eight years in the Idaho legislature, Senator LeFavour built strong relationships with Democratic and Republican colleagues from across the political spectrum. She earned bi-partisan support on her legislation year after year and has been formally recognized for her leadership by local and national organizations.

 

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