Mar 13, 2015 - LATINO LEADERS ISSUE BUDGET PRIORITIES TO CONGRESS

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March 13, 2015

LATINO LEADERS ISSUE BUDGET PRIORITIES TO CONGRESS
Time to end sequestration, invest in our shared future

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 39 of the nation's preeminent Latino organizations, urged Congressional budget leaders to craft a federal budget that better meets the nation's needs by replacing arbitrary across-the-board spending cuts, known as sequestration, with investments necessary for the long-term economic and social well-being of the nation.

In a letter sent to Congress today, NHLA also calls for tax policies that benefit working families, including millions of Latinos, and for maintaining safety net programs that the most vulnerable depend on. NHLA also reminds Congress that efforts to reduce the federal budget deficit have already relied disproportionately on cuts as compared to new revenues, by a ratio of three-to-one, making the prospect of even more cuts to domestic programs, as some have suggested, plainly unfair.

"For too long, working and middle-class Latinos have had to carry a disproportionate share of the burden of deficit reduction. Our children's education, job training for our youth, and the infrastructure we all rely on have been shortchanged. Now is the time for a fairer budget that helps working families succeed and obtain a greater share of the economic recovery," said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

"We need to grow our economy and make smart investments that improve the financial security of working families," said Eric Rodriguez, Vice President, Office of Research, Advocacy and Legislation, NCLR. "Cuts brought about by sequestration to vital health, education and job programs have disproportionately impacted our community and it is clear that sequestration must be repealed and that Congress must pass a responsible budget that benefits all Americans."

For the full text of NHLA's budget priorities letter, click here.

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Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. In 2013, NHLA launched the Latinos United for Immigration Reform campaign. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and LatinosUnited.org and follow @NHLAgenda.