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“Mothers across the state will be negatively impacted by cuts to WIC, Working Connections Childcare, and other programs.”

Dozens of residents from Spokane, WA, will take action to encourage Congress to raise new revenue instead of cutting vital services for seniors, mothers, kids and low income families.  McMorris Rodgers’ actions have left voters angry across Eastern Washington.  To symbolize the impact that the sequester will have on the WIC program (a supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children), working mothers from Representative Cathy McMorris-Rodgers’ 5th Congressional District will deliver empty milk bottles to her office, with personal messages inside the bottles.  (Below are quotes from a Washington CAN  media advisory dated March 15th, 2013).  

Constituents will also call on McMorris Rodgers to oppose the Ryan budget, which was released earlier this week and would end Medicare as we know it, repeal Obamacare, and make drastic cuts to Medicaid, all while providing more tax breaks to the wealthy. McMorris Rodgers has voted for the Ryan budget in the past.

After delivering the empty milk bottles, community members delivered a thank you letter to Senator Murray’s office in support of the Senate budget that was released Wednesday. The Senate budget includes $1 trillion in new revenue and would reverse the sequester cuts. Senator Murray has been a champion for working class families throughout the session and has stood firm on the need for the wealthiest and large corporations to pay their fair share.


 

Sequestration Cuts Forced by McMorris and other Republicans

The sequestration cuts are an effect of an impasse Congress unable to compromise and find a better solution for the middle class.  Because they were unable to work together to raise revenue, these automatic, across the board cuts will have a drastic effect on people across the country.

These ill-conceived, automatic cuts are harmful not only to families but to our economy as a whole.  There will be cuts to child care, nutrition assistance programs for seniors, nutrition assistance for families, vaccine programs for children, domestic violence support programs for women, early education programs, work study programs for college students, job training and placement services, primary education for Washington state, military readiness, public health services, environmental funding to ensure clean air and water, and other cuts as well.

“Approximately 600,000 women and children would be dropped from the Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) from March through September. At least 1,600 State and local jobs could be lost as a result,” according to the White House release of sequestration cuts. (See documents below).

Sequester:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/sequester-factsheets/Washington.pdf

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/02/22/what-sequester#states

Ryan Budget:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/12/paul-ryan-budget-house-gop_n_2860696.html

Senate Budget:

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/287625-senate-dem-budget-includes-nearly-1-trillion-in-new-taxes

Rep. Cathy McMorris-Rodgers voting record can be found here.