Why Bernie Voted NO On Debt Ceiling Deal

As everyone knows by now, a new debt ceiling bill has been passed, and the Republicans got nearly everything they were demanding -- no new revenues (taxes on corporations or the rich) and massive cuts to government programs (that help the rest of America). The bill is guaranteed to both slow the economy and cost America more job losses.

About the only good thing that can be said is that a few progressive Democrats did vote against the bill (while the huge majority of Republicans voted for it. And one of those progressives who voted against the ridiculous bill is the best senator in America -- Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont). Bernie is one of the few members of Congress who has consistently stood up for the poor, the elderly, the workers, and the middle class.

Bernie has written to his supporters and explained why he voted against the debt ceiling bill. Here is what he has to say:

The $2.5 trillion deficit reduction deal that was agreed to by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker John Boehner, and President Obama is grotesquely unfair.  It is also bad economic policy that, in the midst of a terrible recession, will lead to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.  


At a time when the wealthiest people in this country are doing extremely well, and when their effective tax rate is the lowest in decades, the rich will not be asked to contribute one penny more for deficit reduction.   When corporate profits are soaring and a number of giant corporations are able to completely avoid federal income taxes because of obscene loop-holes in the tax code, corporate America will not be asked to contribute one penny more for deficit reduction.  On the other hand, working families, children, the sick and the elderly, many of whom are already suffering because of the recession, are being asked to shoulder 100 percent of the human cost of lowering our deficit.


The corporate media which, by and large, has covered this debate as if it were a baseball game with political “winners and losers,” has neglected to tell the American people what the implications of this deficit reduction agreement are.  Let me take this opportunity to do that. 


The first round of $917 billion in discretionary cuts over the next 10 years will begin in the 2012 budget.  Although nobody can predict exactly what programs will be cut and by how much because those decisions will be made over the coming months and years by the appropriation committees, here’s what working families can look forward to:

  · At a time when there are long waiting lists for affordable childcare and Head Start, it is likely that these programs will be significantly cut.

  · At a time when the United States is falling further and further behind other countries in the terms of the quality of our education, it is likely that tens of thousands of teachers and school personnel will be laid off. 

  · At a time when working class families are finding it harder and harder to send their kids to college, it is likely that there will be cutbacks in federal student aid programs.

  · At a time when hunger among seniors and children is rising, it is likely that there will be cutbacks in various nutrition programs.

  · At a time when 50 million Americans have no health insurance and many of them are utilizing community health centers as their medical homes, it is likely that there will be cuts in primary healthcare. 

  · At a time when states, cities and towns have already laid off over 500,000 public service employees, it is likely that there will be even more lay-offs in police and fire protection, and large reductions in federal support for roads, bridges, water quality, sewage and public transportation. 

Further, there will likely be cuts in home heating assistance, affordable housing, support for family based agriculture, and research in finding cures for cancer and other diseases.   

In addition, there will likely be major staffing reductions in agencies which are trying to protect the physical health and economic well-being of our people.  It is quite likely that the EPA, which enforces the rules regarding clean water and clean air, will be cut.  The SEC, which regulates against the greed and recklessness of Wall Street, will be undermined.  It is also very possible that the Social Security Administration, which assures that seniors and the disabled receive the benefits to which they are entitled in a timely manner, will also be cut.  

That is just some of what will likely happen as a result of the first $900 billion in cuts in this $2.5 trillion deficit reduction package.  
 
The second phase of this legislation calls for the establishment of a Super Committee composed of 3 Democrats and 3 Republicans from the House and 3 Democrats and 3 Republicans from the Senate.  Let's be clear.  The mandate for this 12 member Super Committee is to look at EVERY program of the federal government and come up with $1.5 trillion more in savings.  This means that, at a time when the Republicans and an increased number of Democrats are calling for major cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, all of these programs will be on the chopping block.  

If the committee is unable to reach an agreement with a majority vote, there will then be a "sequestration" process which would require $500 billion in cuts to defense spending and $500 billion more in across-the-board cuts to domestic discretionary spending.  In that scenario, Social Security, Medicare benefits and Medicaid would be spared, but even more draconian cuts would occur in programs that sustain working families.  

Here is the great irony with regard to the deficit reduction process that we have just gone through:
 
In poll after poll, the American people have made it clear that they believe in shared sacrifice.  Instead of putting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education and environmental protection on the chopping block, the American people have said that they believe the best way to reduce the deficit is to end tax breaks for the wealthy, big oil, and Wall Street and take a hard look at military spending.  Yet, the budget deal just approved does the exact opposite of what the American people want.  The wealthy and large corporations contribute nothing while there will be a major reduction in services for working families and the most vulnerable people in our country.  

Enough is enough!  The American people must fight back.  We need a government which represents all the people, not just the wealthy, campaign contributors and lobbyists.  In these tough and discouraging times, despair is not an option.  This fight is not just for us, it is for our children and grandchildren and for the environmental survival of the planet.



Senator Bernie Sanders

NOTE -- The bumper sticker above is just my own personal dream.