GOP Pushes for Deep Cuts to Social Service Agencies that Benefit Poor, Women, & Children

David Streeter — February 10, 2011 – 9:43 am | Congress | Domestic Policy | Republicans Comments (0) Add a comment

The Republican-led House Appropriations Committee issued its proposed budget cuts for 2011, which includes many social services that are supported by the vast majority of American Jews and the community’s institutions.

Adam Kredo of Washington Jewish Week compiled a list of just some of the vital social service agencies that would receive less funding under the Republicans’ plan:

-Cut $758 million from the WIC program (Women, Infants and Children). ‘WIC provides Federal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk,’ per the agency’s website.

-Cut $1.3 billion from Community Health Centers.

-Cut $544 million from International Food Aid Grants.

-Cut $210 million from Maternal and Child Health Block Grants.

-Cut $327 from Family Planning (From the Health and Human Services Department’s website: This program provides ‘individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services. The ... program is designed to provide access to contraceptive services, supplies and information to all who want and need them. By law, priority is given to persons from low-income families.’)

-Cut $96 million for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services.

-Cut $405 million from the Community Services Block Grants program. (CSBG’s help ‘alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty in communities,’ per HHS’s website.)

The GOP’s plans to reduce funding to these vital social service agencies are just the latest demonstration of how extreme and out of step with the American Jewish community the Republican Party has become.

Additionally, the Republican plan would reduce funding for:

• International Food Aid Grants;
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI);
• The Center for Disease Control (CDC);
• The National Institute of Health (NIH);
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - along with a host of other clean energy and environmental protection initiatives;
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA);
• The National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA);
• State and Local Law Enforcement;
• The National Science Foundation (NSF);
• AMTRAK - along with initiatives that support high speed rail projects; and
• Many other services vital to our nation’s security, public health, public safety, environment, and infrastructure.

 

These agencies each play an important role in our country’s present and future. As President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address, which echoed the policy priorities of the American Jewish community, America needs “to out innovative, out educate, and out build the rest of the world” in order to win the future. Reduced funding for science, infrastructure, and other social services that benefit the next generation of Americans will not help to achieve Obama’s goals. Worse, the next generation of Americans could be left with a competitive disadvantage in comparison to their peers in other countries.

 

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