In a letter to President Biden today covered exclusively in HuffPost, the 87-member ProsperUS coalition representing movement groups, labor organizations, think tanks, experts, and advocates across the country urged the White House to reject any spending bills that cut funding for critical programs, including Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Head Start, housing assistance, and more.
The push comes ahead of another possible government shutdown, fueled in part by an extreme minority in the House continuing to push for cuts to critical domestic programs. House Republicans have signaled they are willing to make even more draconian cuts in a potential stopgap bill, which would have devastating, long-term consequences for workers, families and our economy. These cuts are also wildly out of step with the American public. Recent polling shows that voters overwhelmingly oppose proposed cuts to social security, nutrition assistance, education, clean drinking water, and more.
Key excerpts from the letter and quotes from coalition members are below. You can read the full contents of the letter submitted to President Biden here.
To speak to a member of the coalition, contact press@prosperus.org.
“Our coalition, which represents communities across the country fighting for a just and inclusive economy, expects you to reject any funding vehicle that cuts a penny more from the critical programs that enable our economy to thrive.
For decades, Congress has failed to adequately fund non-defense discretionary (NDD) programs, such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Head Start, housing assistance, and the administration of Social Security, as well as K-12 and higher education, scientific research, and infrastructure. This chronic underfunding undermines the impact of these life-saving, economy-building programs.
Polls consistently show that Americans oppose cuts to essential programs and support reinvesting our tax dollars back into our communities, whether it’s for teacher’s salaries, clean drinking water, or ensuring that every child has enough healthy food to succeed. These public investments make our economy more stable, families more secure, and our nation safer.
The Fiscal Responsibility Act will already force painful cuts to many of the programs that Americans rely on for their economic stability.
With another threat of a government shutdown looming, we urge you and members of Congress to brush aside the threats of a small group of extremists and prioritize delivering appropriations bills that invest in workers, families, and communities, and keep this strong, inclusive economy humming.”