Congressman Bacon: Stand above those playing political games with our benefits

By: Angie Lauritsen, State Director of Nebraska For Us

When members of Congress return to work on January 9, they will have just seven legislative days to prevent the start of a partial government shutdown. If this sounds like a song you’ve heard before, it’s because you have. In late September and mid-November, bipartisan groups in the House and Senate passed continuing resolutions to avert a government shutdown—kicking the can down the road, if you will.

The problem is, we’re just weeks away from two separate funding deadlines this time around—January 19 and February 2. The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated.

From the very beginning, the House of Representatives has been solely responsible for dysfunction tied to government funding, just like it was in last spring’s high-stakes debt ceiling debate. That episode played into broader concerns about the stability and trustworthiness of the United States.

For months, far-right members of Congress have voted for drastic and harmful cuts to a whole host of programs in exchange for keeping the government open—with the support of Congressman Don Bacon. He, along with his Republican colleagues, have voted for funding cuts that raise energy costs, eliminate good-paying jobs, cut access to Social Security and close field offices. They would rather send millions of federal employees to work without pay and cause even more stress in the lives of people who are already living paycheck to paycheck in order to get their way.

Nebraska For Us is committed to raising awareness about key votes like this that impact us right here at home, while also advocating for our representatives to support policies that help raise wages, protect Social Security and Medicare, and build a tax system that doesn’t overburden working class and middle income Nebraskans. While Congressman Bacon has supported past continuing resolutions, he has not been vocal when it comes to protecting some of the benefits listed above, nor has he taken a stand against many of these proposed cuts. In fact, he has already voted for some of them.

In addition to pushing harmful funding cuts, House Republicans want to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act which was enacted six years ago this month. Unfortunately, the title was misleading as it was instead a massive handout to corporations and the wealthy, and nothing more than a scam against working class and middle income Nebraskans.

On top of that, it also drastically hurt revenue opportunities by adding an estimated $1.5 trillion to annual deficits over the following decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation. Because of that, it puts key programs under further risk of being underfunded, including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Republicans have already filed three different bills that would extend handouts for the ultra-wealthy and corporations while also threatening programs that working class and middle income Nebraskans count on. It is our hope that Congressman Bacon drops his co-sponsorships or support for these proposals.

The clock is ticking, and we urge our representatives to take a stand above those playing games with our benefits, vote against any additional harmful cuts, vote to fully fund the government, and commit to policies that support everyday Nebraskans rather than the ultra-wealthy and corporations. You can learn more about us and our mission at nebraskaforus.org.

Angie Lauritsen is the state director at Nebraska For Us, a grassroots economic educational and advocacy program designed to lift up the voices of working class and middle income Nebraskans. She is a community leader and former elected official who has also worked in various local and statewide issue-focused campaigns.