Press Release - The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Civil Rights Coalition Lauds Democrats' Overwhelming Rejection of Balanced Budget Amendment
Calls it “a welcome moment of congressional sanity”
For Immediate Release
Contact: Scott Westbrook Simpson, 202.466.2061, simpson@civilrights.org
November 18, 2011
Washington, D.C. – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued this statement following the House's rejection of a constitutional balanced budget amendment:
“Today's House rejection of the Balanced Budget Amendment is a welcome moment of congressional sanity during this session.
Amending the Constitution to require a balanced budget would have disastrous effects on both the federal government and our nation’s economy. Instead of helping members of Congress create jobs, preserve Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, it would have tied their hands and forced them to make indiscriminate cuts that would destroy jobs and devastate vulnerable seniors and low-income communities,
We sincerely hope that Congress will get back to focusing on the most important issue facing our nation by making progress on vital jobs bills that can make a real difference for all Americans struggling in this economy.”
Nancy Zirkin is executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.
