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September 23, 2013 Dear Senator Reid and Senator McConnell.

Thank you for your hard work in the US Senate addressing critical issues that are facing our country. We write today to express our opposition to a continuing resolution (CR) for FY 2014 that funds the government at $986 billion, which would lock in cuts made by the sequester. As you know, the sequester budget has slowed our economic recovery and has deprived the most vulnerable Americans of assistance on which they rely. The economic and social harm resulting from the sequester will accelerate with each successive year. In contrast a clean CR would warrant support from the Democratic Caucus in the House. We cannot support funding levels that add to the extensive damage already caused by the sequester. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the sequester could cost as many as 1.6 million jobs in 2014. It has already cut nutrition assistance to children, research for diseases like cancer and Alzheimer s Disease, education for children from low-income families, disaster relief grants and other important programs that we entrust to the public sector. Extending post-sequester levels will create a dangerous new baseline that locks in historically low funding levels. The House passed CR, which amounts to a 15 percent cut from enacted 2013 levels to nondefense discretionary accounts, endorses the destructive cuts demanded by sequester. Worse, it deepens the cuts to non-defense accounts while signaling intention to alleviate only the defense cuts. A vote for a CR at $986 billion is a vote to continue the policy that will cost Americans millions of jobs when they are desperately needed. We join our leadership and colleagues in strong opposition to the sequester and the CR funding level that locks it in. We urge you to do the same. Sincerely,

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R p. Rail! Grijal C Chair Co ressional Progressive Caucus ep. :it 1

e o-Chair
Congressional Progressive Caucus

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