Trumka: Deficit Proposals “Unconscionable”

AFL chief blasts Simpson and Bowles for "rank hypocrisy," says measures might as well tell "working Americans to 'drop dead.'"

STATEMENT BY AFL-CIO PRESIDENT RICHARD TRUMKA ON
THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE DEFICIT COMMISSION CHAIRS
November 10, 2010

The chairmen of the Deficit Commission just told working Americans to ‘Drop Dead.’ Especially in these tough economic times, it is unconscionable to be proposing cuts to the critical economic lifelines for working people, Social Security and Medicare.

Some people are saying this is plan is just a “starting point.” Let me be clear, it is not.

This deficit talk reeks of rank hypocrisy: The very people who want to slash Social Security and Medicare spent this week clamoring for more unpaid Bush tax cuts for millionaires.

What we need to be focusing on now is the jobs deficit. Working families already paid for Wall Street’s party that tanked our economy. If we actually want to address our economic problems, we need to end tax breaks that send American jobs overseas and invest in creating jobs by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and green technologies.

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