Rep. Mike Thompson: '2012 Budget Plan Cuts Safety Net for America's Most Vulnerable'
“Earlier this week, I supported a bipartisan bill to fund the government through Fiscal Year 2011 in an effort to avert a government shutdown, which would have seriously hurt our country's ongoing economic recovery. The spending plan wasn't perfect, but it reduced spending and protected the programs that are important to families in our district, including Medicare. This bipartisan legislation stands in stark contrast to the partisan fiscal plan passed today.
“With only Republican votes, the majority party passed a budget that guts the Medicare and Medicaid systems and cuts Social Security benefits. Their proposed budget plan would end the Medicare guarantee for seniors and replace it with a voucher system that would more than double their health care costs by 2020.
“Thankfully, the debate over our 2012 spending plan is far from over. As written, the majority's proposal will almost certainly fail to become law. But I think it says a lot about the majority party's priorities and thoughts about the direction our country should take. Moving forward, both sides of the aisle must come together to support a budget that cuts spending while preserving the programs and investments that are an important part of our great country. That's how we'll reach a fiscally responsible solution to our debt crisis.”