Congressman Garamendi Votes Against Continuing Resolution: "The Republican Spending Bill Hurts Women and Middle Class to Benefit Millionaires and Billionaires"

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John Garamendi (D-Walnut Creek, CA) today issued the following statement after voting against the FY 2011 Continuing Resolution:

"I cannot in good faith support this Continuing Resolution, because it makes unnecessary job-destroying deep cuts to roads and public transit, clean energy, flood prevention, and schools. It also sets a dangerous precedent for women's health, preventing a specific jurisdiction from choosing to use local tax revenue for reproductive services. This is a Republican budget; they can own it.

"We heard a lot of talk about 'shared sacrifice' today, yet the burden in this bill is placed almost entirely on the backs of working and middle class families. Where is the expectation that millionaires and billionaires will pay their fair share? Where are the tangible cuts to wasteful Pentagon spending? Why are we spending billions on subsidies for Big Oil?

"This bill could lead to dangerous delays in Delta levee repair, valuable research jobs cut at the Livermore national labs, higher college tuition for thousands of area students, and languishing high speed rail.

"Tomorrow we expect to vote on an even more egregious bill, the House Republican 2012 budget proposal that seeks to destroy Medicare. There is nothing brave about replacing one of the twin planks of retirement security with windfall profits for insurance industry sharks, in an untested privatization scheme that will lead to declining benefits and higher costs.

"The American economy will not recover, and the deficit will not be seriously addressed, if we balance the budget by slashing programs that create jobs – especially in the wake of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Our reputation as good, moral stewards of the American dream will also be tarnished if our best solution to Medicare solvency is the Republican plan to destroy it.

"Yesterday President Obama called on Congress to work in a bipartisan way to grow our economy and reduce the deficit. I think I speak for most Americans when I say we can start this new era of bipartisanship by keeping our promise of retirement security for our seniors and working together to create jobs."