July 31, 2017 - Latino Leaders Urge Representatives to Vote Against the House Budget Resolution

LATINO LEADERS URGE REPRESENTATIVES TO VOTE AGAINST THE HOUSE BUDGET RESOLUTION

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda, a coalition of 45 of the nation’s preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, expresses deep concern with the budget resolution that recently passed out of the House Budget Committee and sent a letter urging House members to vote against it should the resolution reach the floor. Not only does this proposal jeopardize the basic living standards of millions of Americans in order to subsidize tax cuts for the wealthy, but it also cripples working families, the most important driver in our nation’s economic engine. While the Latino working population continues to grow, Hispanic households are still twice as likely to live in poverty as non-Hispanic, white households. Policymakers must prioritize the advancement of hardworking American families.

The trillions of dollars in cuts that the House budget proposes would have a catastrophic impact on the millions of Latinos struggling to provide food and shelter for their families. The proposal threatens the effectiveness of key federal programs and agencies meant to protect and bolster our communities, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Wage and House Division in the Department of Labor, the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Child Tax Credit, and others. The plan also calls for severe cuts to Medicaid and other health programs. Over the next decade, the House budget would cut $4.4 trillion from entitlement programs and $1.3 trillion from non-defense discretionary programs, risking the future success of our nation’s working families.

“The proposed budget has dire consequences for the economic stability and equity of our nation as a whole. The implications of the resolution threaten not only the well-being of the Latino community, but also the potential of all working families trying to contribute their share to the fabric of our nation. Moving forward, NHLA strongly urges our Congressional representatives to consider the well-being of all their constituents, not simply those with the most wealth or influence,” said Hector Sanchez Barba, Chair of NHLA and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

“The House budget plan threatens the basic living standards of many Americans in order to give tax breaks to a few wealthy. Rather than invest in our country’s workers, students, and future homebuyers, the House budget undermines the progress our nation has made to support all Americans in their attainment of the American Dream,” said Eric Rodriguez, Co-Chair of NHLA’s Economic Empowerment and Labor Committee and Vice President of UnidosUS (formerly NCLR). “Working families, including Latinos, need a federal budget that protects the most vulnerable from cuts, creates quality jobs for the unemployed, and shares responsibility equitably across income levels for deficit reduction.”

“The House budget resolution does not represent our nation’s values as it would push farmworkers and their families deeper into poverty while subsidizing tax breaks for the wealthy,” said Bruce Goldstein, Co-Chair of the NHLA Economic Empowerment and Labor Committee and President of Farmworker Justice. “Rural America, where farmworkers cultivate and harvest our food, deserves a budget that offers increased opportunities to improve their living and working conditions, health, occupational safety, and access justice. The House budget resolution fails in each of these respects and should be rejected. Instead, our Members of Congress should support a budget that protects the interests of the American public, particularly many of those in rural communities that feel left behind by policymakers and the economy.”

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERSHIP AGENDA

The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda is composed of 45 of the leading national and regional Latino civil rights and public policy organizations and other elected officials, and prominent Latinos Americans. NHLA coalition members represent the diversity of the Latino community – Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and other Latino Americans. NHLA’s mission calls for unity among Latinos around the country to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a clearer, stronger influence in our country’s affairs. NHLA brings together Latino 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. For more information, please visit: www.nationalhispanicleadership.org.

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