Thursday, September 22, 2011

Republicans on Ceiling: Trade Emergency Aid for Jobs

Those Republicans (and a smattering of Democrats) who voted yesterday to, in effect, shut down the government because of some small details in a debt ceiling bill may well have shot themselves in the foot, especially with the effort to strip funding that's creating jobs.

Those wanting to pay for disaster relief by cutting valuable programs aren't thinking so much about who's working as they are about cutting everything in sight, as exemplified by the efforts to strip a large chunk of money from a program that is creating jobs: the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program. That program is helping the auto industry create new jobs with technologically-advanced cars that pollute less.

Emergency aid has never been one of those budget items that is paid for with a budget line. When it comes up, we all chip in as we would if a neighbor's house burned.

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