Thursday, December 12, 2013

Grijalva: "I Strongly Oppose a Budget Deal That Asks Federal Employees To Endure Another Pay Cut"

Posted By on Thu, Dec 12, 2013 at 12:00 PM

When you have a deal, sometimes you have to move fast. And so the House of Representatives will be voting later today on the small-ball budget deal hammered out by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA).

Here is a breakdown on the deal, which would essentially set a spending plan for the next two years and break the sequester. New York magazine's Jonathan Chait explains why he believes this isn't the beginning of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans, but the only deal they could strike—and not a very big one.

Congressman Raul Grijalva blasted the proposed deal when details emerged earlier this week:

Federal employees work every day to inspect our food, deliver Social Security checks and ensure our loved ones arrive safely at airports around the country. Our thanks to them over the past few years has been a series of pay freezes, furloughs and reckless government shutdowns. Federal workers’ pay and pensions should not be on the table and neither should unemployment insurance, which temporarily fills the gap for families during hard times.

I strongly oppose a budget deal that asks federal employees to endure another pay cut, ends an important economic lifeline for out-of-work Americans, and preserves unfair corporate tax giveaways. Congress should pass a budget deal that invests in jobs and the economy. American families should not be hurt in the process.

Southern Arizona's other congressional members, Reps. Ron Barber and Ann Kirkpatrick, have not yet commented on the legislation.