"It's offensive to me when politicians compare our current national budgeting issues with tightening a family budget.  We moms know how to budget for our families.  We know to not always buy the $20 steaks, but we don't cut out milk for our kids. The current proposed federal budget cuts literally stop kids from getting milk, while not even trimming the fat off the corporate steaks." - Sarah, MomsRising member

Just when I thought the news from Washington, D.C. couldn't possibly get any worse than a looming federal government shutdown over the 2011 budget, it did.

This week, the House Budget Chairman introduced a budget proposal for 2012 that gives tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations while drastically cutting programs for low- and middle-income families.  In fact, a whopping two-thirds of the cuts in the proposed federal House budget come from programs that serve low-income families like health care, nutrition, child care, home energy assistance, Medicaid, Medicare, Pell Grants, food stamps, Head Start, K-12 education, and housing and would have a significant, negative impact on working families. [1]

This budgeting simply doesn't add up.  While children and families struggle with poverty, and while 1 in 4 kids in our nation are experiencing food scarcity due to family economic limitations [2], billionaires and Wall Street are getting tax cuts.

We, as a nation, absolutely have to deal with the deficit and must rebalance the federal budget, but our national budget needs to be rebalanced in both a morally and fiscally responsible way.

*Sign on to our open letter to all members of Congress asking them to keep in mind that with their elected power also comes a moral budgeting responsibility which needs to be taken seriously. Our budget shouldn't be balanced on the backs of our youngest, the elderly, and most vulnerable:

http://moms.ly/fETYfO

What's happening?

Our federal budgeting is out of balance--and the facts show a disturbing pattern.  A New York Times article recently noted that, "The richest 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all American households combined, the effective tax rate on the nation’s richest people has fallen by about half in the last 20 years, and General Electric paid zero dollars in U.S. taxes on profits of more than $14 billion." [3]

The proposed federal House budget for 2012 continues this negative trend by making huge cuts to successful, proven programs for low- and middle-income families that help keep our economy going like food stamps, Head Start, K-12 education, health care, nutrition, child care, home energy assistance, Medicaid, Medicare, Pell Grants, and housing.  In addition, the budget proposed by the House Majority for 2012 includes radical health care cuts that would:

• End Medicare as we know it.  The proposed House budget would eliminate traditional Medicare and trade seniors' guaranteed health care benefits for vouchers that go directly to private insurance companies.
• Rip apart the safety net for children, people with disabilities and the elderly in nursing homes by converting Medicaid into state block grants that shift costs to already cash strapped states and families.
• Put insurance companies back in charge of our care by ending consumer protections under the Affordable Care Act, like the ban on denying care to people with pre-existing conditions.

This year U.S. corporations have taken the biggest profits in U.S. history, yet corporate taxes are at the lowest level in generations.  But the proposed House budget plan would lower tax rates for the wealthiest individuals and companies.[4]

When 1 in 4 kids are going to bed hungry in our nation, our moral and fiscal responsibility includes investing in families who are the current and future economic engine of our nation, not just investing in Wall Street.

And investment in families makes fiscal sense to lower our budget deficit in the long-run. For example, research has shown that an uninsured child costs the local community $2,100 more than coverage for a child with Medicaid or CHIP. [5]  And other research has found that for every $1 invested in quality early learning/child care for kids, taxpayers get back a minimum of $7 due to fewer grade repetitions, less future interactions with the criminal justice system, and a lower future reliance on government entitlement programs.

These types of cuts are penny wise and pound foolish. Cutting successful programs for kids and families only sets our nation up for future economic failure.

Don't forget to take 30 seconds of your time right now to click the below link and tell your members of Congress what you think about the direction of the proposed cuts in our federal budget.

*Sign on to our open letter to all members of Congress asking them to keep in mind that with their elected power also comes a moral budgeting responsibility which needs to be taken seriously - Our budget shouldn't be balanced on the backs of our youngest, the elderly, and most vulnerable:

http://moms.ly/fETYfO

And please use the "Share the Knowledge!" links below to share this message with friends and family!

Together we are a powerful voice for families.

P.S.  Big thank you to HCAN for their help with this message!  For more great info see: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ethan-rome/republican-budget-plan-de_b_845256.html

[1] Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3451&emailView=1

[2] "America's Economic Pain Brings Hunger Pangs," Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111601598.html

[3] "Why We're Fasting," New York Times, http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/why-were-fasting/?ref=opinion

[4]  "Republicans Embrace Rep. Ryan's Government Budget Plan for 2012," Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/republicans-embrace-rep-ryans-government-budget-plan-for-2012/2011/04/05/AFla6ulC_story.html

[5] "Celebrating and Protecting Health Reform for Children," Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/health-reform-children_b_843913.html