WASHINGTON (April 6, 2011)—Today, Congressman Ben Chandler spoke out against the new Republican budget which would drastically affect seniors:
“I protected Medicare and Social Security in the past, and I’ll be in the fight protecting them for the future,” Chandler said. “These programs are vital to our seniors and to those with disabilities, especially in these tough economic times. I am outraged Republicans are trying to end these programs as we know them, putting our national debt on the backs of our seniors.”
The new Republican budget, proposed by Representative Paul Ryan from Wisconsin, will result in a loss of the guaranteed benefits seniors earned under Medicare, will cut support for seniors in nursing homes and Americans with disabilities through Medicaid, and will provide permanent tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Governor Beshear has protested these Medicare and Medicaid changes, and the AARP strongly condemned the budget proposal.
“And to make it even worse, we might have a government shutdown, hitting seniors even harder,” Chandler said.
In the event of a government shutdown, many parts of the government would be affected. In the Republican shutdown of 1995-1996:
• 200,000 Social Security requests were delayed
• 10,000 new Medicare applications were not processed
• Gun purchasing applications could not be processed
• Tax refund checks could not be processed
• Illegal immigration deportation came to a halt, and 400 border patrol agents were not hired
• 400,000 veterans’ benefits were delayed
• Delinquent child-support cases were suspended
• 200,000 U.S. applications for passports went unprocessed
• $3 billion in American goods were held up by export backlogs
• 760,000 American workers went without pay while federal unemployment benefits ran out
The 1995 government shutdown cost Americans $1.5 billion dollars.
“Anyone who is serious about cutting the deficit can’t shut the government down,” Chandler said. “A government shutdown isn’t an answer, it’s a failure—it’s irresponsible. It’s time to get serious about working together in Washington to get things done for the American people.”
Congressman Chandler and his colleagues also wrote a letter to House and Senate leadership on March 30, 2011, stating that during a government shutdown when federal government employees are being furloughed, members of Congress should not get paid.
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