Congressional inaction is not an option

With the deadline to reach a deal on taxes and the budget quickly approaching on Friday the possibility of drastic cuts to discretionary federal spending is increasing. To highlight the impact of the cuts to states, the Obama administration released a state-by-state report detailing the impact of across the board indiscriminate cuts due to start on March 1, 2013 under sequestration.

The White House’s report shows the impact to each federal agency to highlight what a reduced budget will do to each state in the country. While defense spending is hit, sequestration will disproportionately impact marginalized communities that traditionally rely on public assistance, including many minority communities and the poor. Each state will lose money for public safety like fire and police protection, childhood vaccines, treating mental health, substance abuse and combating the spread of HIV. While all of these issues impact our community, reductions in HIV prevention, testing and treatment will be felt particularly acutely by the LGBT community.

The Task Force continues to oppose these across the board indiscriminate cuts in the federal budget. The cuts in non-defense discretionary programs will have consequences for all Americans, but will have an especially large impact on LGBT people and their families. Because LGBT people statistically have poorer health, lower income and fewer resources to protect against economic hardship, any cuts to federal programs serving marginalized communities will disproportionately harm them.

Timing is critical. We urge you to call your members of congress NOW. Ask them to vote for a bill that is a fair and balanced approach to deficit reduction to protect the safety net and support the economy. Tell them to act now. Inaction is not a substitute for leadership.

Call your members now: 202-224-3121