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LEGISLATIVE ALERT4/12/2011Action Alert: Call Your Representatives Today to Urge Them to Oppose the Ryan Budget PlanLast week House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) released his 2012 budget proposal. It was voted on and passed out of the House Budget Committee on a party-line vote, and will be voted on by the full House this week.
ACTION REQUIREDCall your U.S. Representative. To be connected with your representative, dial 202-224-3121.MESSAGEThe Ryan budget goes too far. In addition to proposing steep cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs, the proposal would eliminate the Medicaid expansion included in the Affordable Care Act. Please vote NO on the House Budget plan.BACKGROUNDAt least two-thirds of the cuts proposed in the Ryan budget would be made to programs that serve low-income income children and families. In addition, the Ryan budget would cut non-security discretionary spending in 2012 by $100 billion below President Barack Obama's proposed budget, rolling non-security spending back to $360 billion, which is less than 2008 levels. These funding levels would then be frozen in place for five years. The Ryan budget calls for $5.8 trillion in cuts to federal spending over 10 years, including almost $1.6 trillion in cuts to non-security discretionary spending, $771 billions in cuts to Medicaid, and $715 billion in cuts to other mandatory spending programs.
Under the House plan, Medicaid would not only be cut, but the program's status as an entitlement would end as it would be replaced with state block grants. Furthermore, the House budget repeals the ACA. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Plan (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, would also be capped and converted into a block grant beginning in 2015. It would then be indexed only for inflation and population growth with no guarantees that it would keep up with demand.
Passage of the budget would send the measure over to the Senate where Democratic leaders are expected to reject the steep cuts to Medicaid and other social safety net programs. Senate leaders will likely craft their own budget proposal.
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