Media

Today, I met with advocates from Special Olympics and Best buddies, two organizations that are dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities lead full, successful lives.

The automatic, arbitrary, and irrational cuts [sequestration] has imposed could have and I think will have serious, negative impact. It could erode our military readiness and weaken our national security. And it could reverse the gains weve made in our economic recovery and see reductions in critical programs that help the poor and most vulnerable in our society.

The Continuing Resolution passed by the House today does nothing to address the irrational cuts imposed by sequestration, which could be very harmful to our economy, our local defense community, and our national security over the coming weeks and months. While I do not believe we should allow our government to shut down and I would have liked to have voted for the defense funding included inthe package, this legislation did not stop the sequester or address the need to invest in our priorities in a thoughtful way.

The reckless, across-the-board spending cuts known as the sequester could have a disproportionate impact on critical programs that serve our most vulnerable communities in Maryland and across the country.

As our economy continues to recover, Congress must remain focused on supporting sustained growth and job creation.

Over the next few weeks and months, unless Congress takes action to replace sequestration, our national security will see severe reductions in funding, threatening jobs and impacting programs domestically and abroad.

I thank Secretary Duncan and Secretary Sebelius for visiting the Silver Spring Judy Center today and highlighting the full range of services that Judy Centers provide to students and families across our state.