March 2, 2011
NMAC Statement on House Passage of Two-Week Continuing Resolution
The following is a statement for National Minority AIDS Council Deputy Executive Director Daniel C. Montoya:
Washington, DC –“Today, the House of Representatives passed a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) that would fund the federal government for two weeks. While this stop-gap measure may prevent a disastrous government shutdown come Friday, it also sets a troubling precedent for future cuts in funding, especially for public health.
“This legislation is simply the latest iteration of the House leadership’s constant refrain that budgets must be slashed, no matter what the cost. Agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which provide critical health care services to low-income Americans, including people living with HIV and AIDS, now face massive cuts. The Health Resources and Services Administration’s budget alone will be cut by almost $400 million, approximately 10 percent of the $4 billion in cuts included in this bill.
“Certainly, Congress must address our nation’s budget deficit, but the House leadership seems determined to do so on the backs of America’s sick, its disabled and its poor. At a time where economic instability has left millions of Americans dependent on government programs to survive, imposing huge cuts in funding for the agencies that provide services to these citizens is not only cruel, its reckless.”
Contact: Kyle Murphy, (202) 483-6622 ext. 333
kmurphy@nmac.org