THE DISGRACEFUL REPUBLICAN BUDGET

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The Senate on Friday passed a budget that envisions more than $5 trillion in cuts over the coming decade by slashing health care and other benefits for working families and the middle class while leaving tax breaks in place for the wealthiest Americans and multi-national corporations. Twenty-seven million Americans would lose health insurance under the Republican plan as they eliminate the Affordable Care Act and make huge cuts to Medicaid. "What they are proposing is major cuts in programs for some of the most vulnerable people in this country — the elderly, children, sick and low-income people,” said Bernie, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. “At the same time they want to give significant tax breaks to the wealthy and the large corporations.” During the week-long debate Republicans rejected proposals to create millions of new jobs, raise the minimum wage, help students afford college, and protect seniors on Social Security and Medicare.

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A DISGRACEFUL BUDGET       Bernie led the opposition to the Republican budget proposal during a week-long debate. He summed up the Republican plan during the floor debate. “We’ll make it harder for kids to go to college, we’ll throw people off health insurance, but we will not ask the rich and powerful to pay more in taxes,” he said. “Their intention is to balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor.”

REBUILD AMERICA       The Senate earlier in the week blocked another amendment from Bernie that would have encouraged a major investment in roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects and, in the process, support millions of construction jobs. Fifty-two Senate Republicans voted against that proposal.

RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE       Senate Republicans blocked Bernie's amendment calling for an increase in the minimum wage. “Since 1968, the real value of the federal minimum wage has fallen by close to 30 percent,” Bernie said before the vote. “Let us stand today with the tens of millions of workers who are struggling to put food on the table, to take care of their families. Let us raise the minimum wage." Bernie wants the federal minimum wage to go from the current $7.25 an hour to at least $10.10 an hour and eventually to $15 an hour.

IF YOU WANT A WAR, PAY FOR IT       An amendment from Sen. Marco Rubio would have increased military funding above caps Congress imposed on itself in 2011without offsetting cuts. Bernie told Rubio his measure undermined the Republicans’ avowed desire to reduce the federal budget deficit. "Enough is enough, if you want to go to war, start paying for it,” Bernie said.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL       Bernie's amendment was offered during the debate that would have recognized the reality of global climate change. It said climate change is real and caused by humans. Five Republicans voted for it, but that wasn’t enough to adopt the amendment.

EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN       Also falling on similar nearly party-line votes were proposals to protect women in the workplace by ensuring equal pay for equal work.

HELP FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS       An amendment that called for reducing student debt by allowing borrowers with existing federal and private student loans to refinance their loans at lower interest rates was rejected by Republicans.

DEFEND SOCIAL SECURITY       An amendment co-sponsored by Bernie which called for no cuts to Social Security attracted five Republican votes and won by a 50-49 vote. On the other hand, no Republicans voted to expand Social Security benefits in an amendment that failed 42-56.

MUST READS

Trillion Dollar Fraudsters     Paul Krugman for The New York Times

The Middle Class Has Gotten Smaller In Every State Since 2000     Jenny Che for The Huffington Post

How China used more cement in 3 years than the U.S. did in the entire 20th Century     Ana Swanson for The Washington Post

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