House votes on Ryan budget plan tomorrow; tell Congress what you think tonight!

Last week, Dana Beasley Brown asked you to urge your Congressional representative to support the Fairness in Taxation Act. Thank you for taking that action!

Tomorrow, the House will vote on a budget bill that contradicts the principles that the Fairness in Taxation Act upholds and that KFTC supports. KFTC has long supported budget and revenue policies that are fair and adequate to the work of moving us forward toward a Kentucky we all want – a Kentucky whose communities are safe and healthy with opportunities for excellent education and secure jobs. This Kentucky doesn't happen without the adequate investment of public dollars in quality education, healthcare, safe neighborhoods, and sound infrastructure – a responsibility that should be shared equitably among all of us.

The Ryan budget proposal fails to meet these criteria. The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy has released a report on the impact of Ryan's budget proposal in Kentucky. KCEP says that it "would be devastating for Kentucky families" by eroding our federal government and making deep cuts to programs that promote basic economic security and health – and still do virtually nothing to reduce the federal deficit because it includes deep tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations.  

KCEP's report says that the Ryan plan would increase out-of-pocket Medicare costs for seniors by changing the federal program to a private voucher program to buy private insurance. The plan would also deny health insurance to an estimated 261,000 Kentuckians by eliminating the Medicaid expansion scheduled for 2014. And it would cut more than $2 billion from Kentucky's food stamp program (SNAP) over the next 10 years, cutting Kentuckians out, or cutting allotments, or both. Further, by shifting those federal programs to block grants, it would also prevent SNAP and Medicaid from responding to rising costs and rising needs.

Finally, the Ryan budget would put in place a plan to nearly end most every other federal program except Social Security, health care and defense by 2050.

You can read more about economists' analysis of the Ryan plan by starting with KCEP's report, which links to a bundle of reports by the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities. 

The House is set to vote on the Ryan budget tomorrow. It's passage is not certain. Calling in could make a real impact on stopping this budget in its tracks, and creating an opportunity for a better starting point in the discussion of next year's budget.

You can find your representative's contact information here.