DelBene Statement on the Failure of Congress to Stop Sequestration Cuts

WASHINGTON D.C. – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene released the following statement Friday after Congressional leaders were unable to come together to prevent federal budget cuts known as sequestration: 

The failure of Congress to stop the across-the-board cuts caused by sequestration demonstrates how broken Washington, D.C. is. It’s extremely disappointing that partisanship and political posturing have prevented any good faith efforts from either side of the aisle to gain traction toward a bipartisan solution.

Sadly, the ones who will be most hurt by this failure of Congressional leadership are the American people and our economy.

Sequestration will cost us 750,000 jobs nationwide, affecting nearly 30,000 jobs in Washington state alone.

Over the last few months I’ve traveled throughout the 1st District, meeting with school officials, local businesses, seniors and families to discuss the direct and very real consequences of these cuts. These cuts will harm our education system, threatening the jobs of teachers and eliminating access to Head Start for over 1,000 children in Washington state. There will be damaging reductions in life-saving research and fewer resources for small businesses, hurting commerce and our local economy. 

It’s frustrating that partisan gridlock has allowed these irresponsible cuts to move forward. Every day we don’t have a solution with a long-term policy is another day we are hurting our economy. This is no way to govern.

Families and businesses need visibility to plan and budget for the future, not the brinksmanship that’s happening today in Congress.

We must come together with a bipartisan effort to find a long-term budget solution that reduces our deficit and grows our economy. This means a balanced, responsible plan that cuts wasteful spending and invests in the programs that help working families, create jobs and put our economy back on the right track.”

Previous coverage:

How Would Sequestration Affect Kirkland?

Do you agree with DelBene's statement? Will these cuts affect you or your family? Tell us in comments.