Toledo Reporter

Toledo, OH – On May 2, Representatives Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Susan Wild (PA-05), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-07), Shontel Brown (OH-11), and Emilia Strong Sykes (OH-13) held a virtual press conference to highlight work they are doing to prevent default by the United States on its debt obligations and to protect vital investments that lower costs and create better paying jobs.

Last week, House Republicans passed a bill that inflicts cruel cuts on American families. In Ohio alone, House Republicans' extreme demands will:

• Eliminate preschool and child care for at least 12,300 children in Ohio.
• Worsen Social Security and Medicare assistance wait times for 2.6 million Ohio seniors.
• Reduce access to outpatient care at Veterans Affairs medical facilities by approximately 1,082,645 visits in Ohio.
• Strip Food Assistance from 426,000 Ohioans.
• Put 421,000 people at risk of losing Medicaid coverage in Ohio.
• Deny 2,000 Ohioans admission to Opioid Treatment.
• Eliminate at least 5 air traffic control towers in Ohio.
• Cut at least 330 rail safety inspection days in Ohio.
• Repeal investments in cleaner, cheaper energy — threatening 3,900 clean energy and manufacturing jobs announced in Ohio since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
• Make college more expensive for at least 198,300 Ohioans.
• Increase housing costs for at least 23,300 Ohioans.

Actions taken by House Republicans risks default on our nation's bills, unleashing economic catastrophe and putting vital government services at risk. A default on our debt would:

• Kill 7,400 jobs across Northwest Ohio in the 9th District. Nationwide, a default could kill more than 7 million jobs.
• Jeopardize Social Security payments for 111,000 families in Northwest Ohio across the 9th District.
• Put health benefits at risk for 312,000 people across Northwest Ohio in the 9th District who rely on Medicare, Medicaid, or Veterans Affairs health coverage.
• Increase lifetime mortgage costs for the typical homeowner in Ohio by $30,000.
• Raise the costs of a new car loan for the typical American by $800.
• Threaten the retirement savings of 107,300 people near retirement in the 9th District by eliminating $20,000 from the typical retirement portfolio.

House Democrats have a better plan. We have already reduced the deficit by historic levels while investing in America to lower costs for health care, prescription drugs and clean energy while working to create better paying jobs by rebuilding infrastructure and bringing clean drinking water and broadband to more communities. We are laser focused on protecting these vital investments instead of inflicting cruel cuts or a devastating default.

“I am ready to work with my Republican colleagues to pay our bills and prevent a default on our debt — but I will not agree to cruel cuts that make life harder for hard working Ohio families,” said Representative Marcy Kaptur (OH-09).  “House Republicans are playing budget shenanigans at the risk of blunting economic growth and hurting countless Ohioans. Speaker McCarthy’s budget drama is creating instability that will yield disastrous consequences for students, families, seniors, veterans, and public safety across our Buckeye State. I stand with hard working Americans on Main Street, not the profiteers and scions of Wall Street.”

“Last week, D.C. Republicans put forward a bill with unacceptable, extreme cuts that put the full faith and credit of the United States at risk. It wasn’t a reasonable first shot at negotiating a deal to protect our economy. It was an appeasement to the most extreme members of their conference,” said Representative Susan Wild (PA-07). “The laws my colleagues and I passed over the last two years were examples of our priorities—reducing the deficit, lowering health care costs, creating 12.6 million jobs, investing in American manufacturing, supporting first responders, and keeping our promise to take care of veterans. People in our districts sent us to Washington to make their lives better, not put our entire economy at risk. I know that I and my colleagues are willing to work across the aisle to avert an economic crisis, but the bill put forward last week only pushed us closer to the brink.”

“Rather than advancing real solutions to the most pressing problems our communities face, Republicans are threatening to wreck our economy by either forcing a default on our debt or gutting the programs our families, seniors, and veterans rely on,” said Representative Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05). “Democrats remain ready to work together with Republicans to pay our bills, but we will not allow American families to be held hostage. It’s time to invest in America – lowering costs and creating better-paying jobs – while ensuring billionaires and big corporations pay their fair share.”

"Let's get one thing straight: the full faith and credit of the United States should never be used as a bargaining chip," said Representative Shontel Brown (OH-11). "Pitting the preservation of our nation's credit against slashing lifeline programs for working families isn't just an impossible choice—but an immoral ploy. House Democrats have a plan to protect lifeline services crucial to everyday Americans, and we're ready to build on the successes of the 117th Congress—but we can't do it alone. As a coalition builder in Congress, I hope to work with House Republicans to achieve a solution that protects the welfare of Northeast Ohioans: not make it harder for working families to make ends meet."

“Instead of working to avoid an economic disaster, House Republicans passed severe and devastating cuts that would be catastrophic for the people of Ohio’s 13th District. These cuts would rip away healthcare and food assistance from hardworking Ohioans, kill thousands of jobs, and endanger the safety and security of our communities. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Congress can pay the nation’s bills and prevent a default on our debt, all while protecting the vital programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid that children, seniors, veterans, and families rely on. My colleagues and I are ready to work across the aisle to implement a bipartisan solution that invests in the American people, lowers everyday costs, and reduces the deficit,” said Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13).

Original source can be found here.