Pocan on Piecemeal Sequester “Solution”: “Irresponsible and Inadequate”

Washington – With close to 36,000 Wisconsin jobs and vital services to Wisconsin seniors and children on the chopping block due to irresponsible sequester cuts, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) today released the following statement after voting against legislation that would give the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and only the Federal Aviation Administration, flexibility to manage the sequester cuts and prevent staffing shortages.

“The verdict on the sequester is as clear as it was predictable: these are mindless, reckless, and harmful cuts that are slowing economic growth and taking away valuable resources for our families and communities,” said Pocan, a member of the House Budget Committee. “Yet instead of working on a comprehensive, balanced solution that will allow us to protect 36,000 Wisconsin jobs, close to 1,000 Wisconsin children in Head Start, nearly 4 million meals for American seniors, and vital other services and programs, Congress continues to defy logic and try to fix the sequester in a piecemeal fashion that preserves cuts to some of our most vulnerable citizens. This “solution” is irresponsible and inadequate, and it’s offensive to hardworking Wisconsinites who don’t deserve to get caught in the political crossfires of Washington. I continue to urge my Republican colleagues to appoint budget conferees immediately so we can pass a budget that replaces the sequester cuts—all of the sequester cuts—for once and for all.”

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