Rep. Paul Ryan's Budget Attacks Vital Social Programs For Middle Class & Promotes A More Unequal Society
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2011
Rep. Paul Ryan's Budget Attacks Vital Social Programs For Middle Class & Promotes A More Unequal Society
Washington DC – Today, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) unveiled a proposed budget designed to slash public investments that have been the cornerstone of civil society in the US, while leaving unaddressed and unspoken any plan to get Americans back to work. In response, Tamara Draut, Vice President of Policy and Programs at Demos, a national policy center that promotes economic prosperity and recovery-oriented fiscal priorities, issued the following statement:
“If there was any question about the values that animate modern conservatives in government, Rep. Paul Ryan today provides the answer. Seniors and working families, don't be fooled. In a predictable and dangerous formula Republicans call ‘courageous,’ tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations will be protected at the expense of the American middle class.
"On the chopping block are programs that for decades have kept America's elderly out of poverty and provided America's poor their only access to healthcare. If conservatives get their way and these cuts are implemented, the very fabric of our society and how we care for our citizens would be rendered unrecognizable.
"We believe Americans are animated by a different set of values and, given the opportunity, refuse to look at the challenges facing our country through a prism of fear. In a project we launched late last year, we laid out a budget blueprint that truly believes in American potential by protecting and enhancing investments that contribute to our greatness.
“'A Budget Blueprint for Economic Recovery and Fiscal Responsibility,' published through OurFiscalSecurity.org—a collaborative effort of The Century Foundation, Demos and the Economic Policy Institute—prioritizes something Republicans refuse to address: jobs, jobs, jobs. We believe that the absolute best way to reduce the deficit is to get Americans back to work.
“The Blueprint’s budget path boosts funding for near-term job creation, achieves lower deficits in the medium-term and balances the federal budget in less than a decade. It does so with the recognition that we all must support the public structures that are vital to the American dream--our infrastructure, transportation, technology and education that are the foundations of growth and prosperity.
“While Republicans and Rep. Ryan use fear of the future to reach long-time conservative goals, like the destruction of essential social programs, ‘The Blueprint’ provides a real Path to Prosperity that does more than cut the deficit; it creates a stronger middle class and a fundamentally more robust American economy."
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CONTACT:
Alex Amend, [email protected], 212-389-1411
Tim Rusch, [email protected], 212-389-1407
