[lbo-talk] Harmful Budget bill passes

[Marta Russell]

> From: "Peggy Denker, Families USA" <field at familiesusa.org>
> Subject: House Approves Budget Bill
>
> Tonight -- Wednesday, February 1st -- the House of Representatives
> approved the budget reconciliation bill by an extremely close vote of
> 216-214. All Democrats and 14 Republicans (including five whose  
> votes we
> succeeded in changing) voted against the bill.
> <http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll004.xml>Click here to see the  
> roll
> call vote and find out how your delegation voted.
>
> Despite this heartbreaking loss, we want to thank all of you for  
> your hard
> work fighting the budget reconciliation bill all year. Your calls,
> e-mails, meetings, op-eds, editorial board meetings, and all the other
> work you did -- all of these were crucial. While we didn't win this  
> one,
> we came much closer than we could have dared last year. And we did  
> make it
> very difficult for the other side: Perhaps they will think twice  
> before
> trying to do this again soon!
>
> But even though we lost in Congress, the fight's not over yet. It's  
> now up
> to you. State advocates will need to do whatever you can to  
> minimize the
> harm this bill could do to people who rely on Medicaid. Each  
> governor and
> state legislature will be making its own decisions about how to  
> implement
> the new legislation. Many of the most harmful cuts in the  
> reconciliation
> bill are at the discretion of the states.
>
> In the days ahead, we'll be writing analyses about what's in the
> reconciliation bill and developing tools to help with the next  
> stage of
> this fight; we'll get them out to you as soon as we can. Our Medicaid
> Action Center will be updated regularly, so keep checking with us.
>
> But there are two things we all must do. First, from now until  
> November,
> we must make sure the public understands what happened: that this  
> Congress
> heartlessly made the poorest of the poor pay more for health care  
> so they
> could give more tax breaks to their rich friends. Second, there is no
> acceptable excuse for this vote; if your Representative voted FOR this
> shameless bill, you should make sure they know you will hold them
> accountable for the harm that will be done.
>
> Peggy Denker
>
>
>
>
>
> --------
> Families USA | 1201 New York Ave., NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC  
> 20005
> www.familiesusa.org | info at familiesusa.org
>
>