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YOUR CALL IS STILL NEEDED!
Key Senate Budget Votes TODAY - Thursday, March 16!
A real chance to restore $7 billion to human needs programs - But you have to call! The Specter-Harkin Amendment adds $7 billion to restore funding for education, nutrition and vital social services programs (like Head Start, child care, Meals on Wheels and others). Similar votes on Tuesday failed on a 50-50 tie. Your call can make the difference. Specter-Harkin will come up sometime on Thursday.
Please make 2 calls - one to each Senator.
Use this toll-free number to be connected both times:
800-459-1887 (Thanks again to the American Friends Service Committee for providing the number and to several generous organizations who have shared in the cost.)
Here’s what to say when you get through to your Senator's staff:
1. "Please tell Senator _________ to support the Specter-Harkin Amendment to the budget resolution."
2. "Please tell Senator __________ to oppose any budget resolution that will force harmful cuts in programs that serve needy people and to oppose tax breaks that take funds away from needed services and deepen the deficit."
Background:
What is the Specter-Harkin Amendment? The Specter-Harkin Amendment would restore $7 billion in funding to the committee that has jurisdiction over many education, nutrition, social services, energy assistance, Head Start, child care, Meals on Wheels, and other vital services. Failure to enact this amendment will result in serious cuts to these services. This amendment really helps because it adds $7 billion to the total money available for annually funded programs.
What's Next? The Senate hopes to finish work on their budget resolution by late Thursday - although that may slip. So this is your chance to (1) support a good amendment and (2) urge your Senators to vote against the whole budget resolution. That's because the final budget, even if Specter-Harkin passes, will still make harmful service and tax cuts. Further, if a Senate budget is adopted and then compromised with a House budget likely to be more harsh, the end result will hurt more vulnerable people - still to pay towards towards tax breaks massively favoring millionaires.
The toll-free number is provided courtesy of the American Friends Service Committee which has launched a budget campaign,
http://www.afsc.org/economic-justice/sos/. AFSC welcomes groups to circulate and use the toll-free number in support of the non-partisan budget goals towards which CHN always works and without linking the alert to a website soliciting donations or actions which may be used to support partisan lobbying or work.
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