For working people across the country, the week ends with a mix of relief and frustration.
The hundreds of thousands of federal workers who had been furloughed during the 16-day government shutdown were glad to return to their jobs, freed from the anxiety of not knowing when they’d get another paycheck.
SEIU appreciates the strong stand President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and others took to defend the Affordable Care Act. And now, a window is open for negotiations on reversing the devastating sequester before the next round of cuts, scheduled for January.
At the same time, we can’t ignore that the shutdown hit working families hard. It did real damage–costing the economy $24 billion, according to Standard & Poor’s. That’s a staggering impact from what SEIU President Mary Kay Henry called a “crisis manufactured by the far-right wing of the Republican Party.”
That number–$24 billion–is unimaginably big, so consider one person’s story: LaShante Austin, a member of SEIU 32BJ, told MSNBC if the shutdown had not ended, she was not going to be able to pay rent. “I have got to put food on the table. I can’t tell the bill collectors, ‘Sorry, the government’s shut down,'” she said. Austin is a security officer at the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of American greatness.
Don’t working people like LaShante Austin deserve better from America’s leaders?
Congress must now debate and pass a budget to fund the federal government in the new year. A bipartisan committee with members from both the House and the Senate has until mid-December to issue recommendations. If the committee fails, the government could shut down again Jan. 15 and the debt ceiling could be reached Feb. 7.
This committee must meet its deadline, but it must also resist making decisions that would continue to fund vital services at austerity levels. Nor should members of Congress try to undermine retirement security in pursuit of a bogus “grand bargain.” We must work to change the economic narrative and reverse the politics of austerity. The shutdown is over, but the fight continues to improve the lives of working people. Sign up to receive updates as the budget committee gets to work.
Averting the crisis has also given Washington, D.C., the chance to focus again on immigration reform–something President Obama pledged this week to do.
The time is now for commonsense immigration reform, and you can add your voice!
SEIU, Reform Immigration For America (RI4A) and the Campaign for Community Change are taking the fight to social networks in a big way. Join us in calling on Home Depot, Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Dominos to use their influence to build support for immigration reform.
This article was originally printed on SEIU on October 18, 2013. Reprinted with permission.
Author: SEIU Communications.
