Levin: Republican budget plan would decimate programs vital to Michigan

(Washington D.C.)- With the U.S. House today scheduled to begin debate on the Republican budget plan for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011, U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI) criticized the proposal. Levin issued the following statement:

“President Obama’s budget lays out a responsible path toward meeting vital twin objectives – invest in our economy and reduce the deficit by $1.1 trillion over 10 years. The budget’s targeted infrastructure, education and technology investments are vital as we seek to out-innovate the rest of the world.

The Republican 2011 blueprint, which the House begins debating today, reflects starkly different priorities. It will stifle investment and growth in the name of deficit reduction. The Republican plan would decimate programs vital to Michigan at a time when communities are still struggling to recover from the deep economic recession. It would take our economy backwards through extreme cuts that would be felt by families throughout our state. The GOP’s message to the Great Lakes states is ‘You’re on your own.’“

The GOP proposal:

• Completely eliminates the COPS program that puts police officers on our streets to protect our communities. The program was funded at $298 million last year.

• Takes a hatchet to the Community Development Block Grant program that is so important to local municipalities under severe economic strain. Republicans decrease it by two-thirds, to $1.5 billion. The program rehabilitates foreclosed properties, invests in improvements to community centers and parks and rebuilds residential streets, all creating jobs.  In 2010, 12th District Communities received $11.9 million (including Macomb and Oakland Counties, Clinton Township, Roseville, Royal Oak, St. Clair Shores, Southfield, Sterling Heights and Warren).

• Cuts more than a billion dollars from the Clean Water Revolving Program. This is important infrastructure work that creates jobs and provides low-interest loans and grants to localities for sewers and other water pollution control efforts.  Much of the water infrastructure that has been built in Southeast Michigan over the last 20 years would have been unaffordable without this fund, like the Kuhn Drain in Oakland County and now the rebuilding of the Oakland-Macomb Interceptor and sewer improvements in Fraser, St. Clair Shore, Warren, and Center Line. These projects are all a source of needed jobs.

• Reduces by more than half funding for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative – a far more drastic cut than in Obama’s 2012 proposal. This new program is a key immediate response to a clear and present danger to the Great Lakes. It targets invasive species, non-point pollution, and contaminated sediment in the Great Lakes.  In 2010, the GLRI provided more than $37 million to help prevent the Asian carp from becoming established in the Great Lakes.

• Slashes in half Pell Grant awards to low-and moderate income college students – a critical investment in the education of our youth. Students at area schools, including Lawrence Tech, depend on Pell Grants to help cover education costs.  Currently, nearly 700 undergrads depend on these awards at Lawrence Tech alone, approximately a fifth of the undergraduate population.

• Cuts Head Start programs by $1.1 billion in cuts (15%). According to the National Head Start Association, 63,500 families would be without quality early education programs if the President’s budget proposal is not enacted.

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