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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=senator@mikulski.senate.gov
href="mailto:senator@mikulski.senate.gov">senator@mikulski.senate.gov</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=kenneth.chrane@verizon.net
href="mailto:kenneth.chrane@verizon.net">kenneth.chrane@verizon.net</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, December 19, 2012 8:40 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Avoiding the Fiscal Cliff and Sequestration</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><A href="http://mikulski.senate.gov"><IMG border=0
src="http://mikulski.senate.gov/systemimages/site_header05.jpg"></A>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">Dear Mr. Chrane:</SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: 36pt" class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">Thank you for contacting me about the fiscal
cliff and the federal deficit. </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">It's good to hear from you. </SPAN></SPAN>
</P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">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</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> and across-the-board cuts known as
sequester</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">. 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. </SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">My principles for avoiding the fiscal cliff are
simple.</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> We must have a combination of spending cuts
and new revenue to reduce our debt and still grow the economy. </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">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. </SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">I
believe there are ways to achieve the savings required to avoid the fiscal cliff
in a balanced and thoughtful way. </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">We can start by letting the 2001 and 2003 tax
cuts expire for households making more than $250,000 per year. </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">This could save an estimated $700 billion over
10 years. We can also make thoughtful and balanced cuts to
spending</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">—</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">both military and domestic</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">—</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">that will begin to reduce our deficit.
That's why I </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">supported the
Budget Control Act passed by Congress in 2011 that would require $900 billion in
cuts over 10 years. </SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: 36pt" class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">What we can't do, however, is use
across-the-board spending cuts to get us to a balanced budget. </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">It would unfairly harm middle-class families
and do nothing to raise the additional revenue needed to reduce the
deficit. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">In Maryland alone, this could result in the
loss of tens of thousands of jobs and $3.1 billion to our state
economy. </SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: 36pt" class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">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.</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN></SPAN> </P>
<P style="TEXT-INDENT: 36pt" class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">Thanks again for getting in touch with
me. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New"> </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: Courier New">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.</SPAN></SPAN> </P></DIV><BR><FONT size=3 face="Courier New">Sincerely,
<BR>Barbara A. Mikulski<BR>United States Senator <BR><BR><BR>Please do not
respond directly to this e-mail. The originating e-mail account is not
monitored.<BR>If you would like to get in touch with me again, please visit the
comments page of my website <A
href="http://mikulski.senate.gov/contact/shareyouropinion.cfm">here</A>.<BR>If
you would like to get regular updates, please sign up for my E-Newsletter <A
href="http://mikulski.senate.gov/media/enewsletter.cfm">here</A>.<BR>Please
follow me on <A href="”http://twitter.com/senatorbarb”">Twitter</A> and <A
href="”http://www.facebook.com/senatormikulski”">Facebook</A>.<BR><A
href="http://www.facebook.com/senatormikulski"><IMG border=0
src="http://mikulski.senate.gov/images/facebook.png"></A><A
href="http://twitter.com/senatorbarb"><IMG border=0
src="http://mikulski.senate.gov/images/twitter.png"></A></FONT>
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