[nfb-talk] {Disarmed} Fw: Avoiding the Fiscal Cliff and Sequestration

Kenneth Chrane kenneth.chrane at verizon.net
Fri Dec 21 03:11:50 UTC 2012


Email
----- Original Message ----- 
From: senator at mikulski.senate.gov 
To: kenneth.chrane at verizon.net 
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2012 8:40 AM
Subject: Avoiding the Fiscal Cliff and Sequestration


 
 

Dear Mr. Chrane: 

 

Thank you for contacting me about the fiscal cliff and the federal deficit.  It's good to hear from you.  

 

Americans need to have a government on their side that is capable of solving tough problems.  That's why Congress must act now to avoid the devastating impact of the fiscal cliff and across-the-board cuts known as sequester.  Without swift action to avoid the fiscal cliff, millions of Americans would see their taxes go up and face spending cuts that could bring our nation back into recession.  The longer we delay the more damage we do to ourselves and the economy.  

 

My principles for avoiding the fiscal cliff are simple.  We must have a combination of spending cuts and new revenue to reduce our debt and still grow the economy.  We must also protect the social contract between the American people and their government.  Medicare and Medicaid need to be reformed and refreshed not gutted or block-granted.  

 

I believe there are ways to achieve the savings required to avoid the fiscal cliff in a balanced and thoughtful way.  We can start by letting the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire for households making more than $250,000 per year.  This could save an estimated $700 billion over 10 years.  We can also make thoughtful and balanced cuts to spending - both military and domestic - that will begin to reduce our deficit.  That's why I supported the Budget Control Act passed by Congress in 2011 that would require $900 billion in cuts over 10 years.  

 

What we can't do, however, is use across-the-board spending cuts to get us to a balanced budget.  It would unfairly harm middle-class families and do nothing to raise the additional revenue needed to reduce the deficit.  In Maryland alone, this could result in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs and $3.1 billion to our state economy.  

 

I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress to prevent the fiscal cliff and make thoughtful and balanced changes to our spending policy to reduce our national debt.   

 

Thanks again for getting in touch with me.  Knowing of your views is very important to me.  Please let me know if I can be of any assistance to you in the future. 


Sincerely, 
Barbara A. Mikulski
United States Senator 


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