Which Would You Cut? $8 Billion in Oil Subsidies, or Education, Parks and Clean Water

WASHINGTON  (February 27, 2013) – If Congress doesn’t reach an agreement on reducing the deficit by March 1, federal spending will be automatically cut by $85 billion under the budget sequestration process. With sequestration increasingly likely, Franz Matzner, associate director of government affairs for the Natural Resources Defense Council, issued this statement:

“Make no mistake: The arbitrary, across-the-board cuts that will reduce our food inspections, lock gates at our national parks, dirty our drinking water and throw hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work are not because of Washington gridlock. They are the product of GOP obstructionists protecting loopholes for millionaires and subsidies for oil companies.

“Republicans in Congress should help curb the deficit by agreeing to end at least $8 billion in annual subsidies to these oil companies. They should choose to cut taxpayer giveaways that pad already prodigious oil company profits, not take away support for our children, our health, our treasured lands and our heritage.”

NRDC and other groups have launched an online campaign, “Which Would You Cut,” contrasting the sequester cuts affecting education, food safety, national parks and more, versus the $8 billion for oil subsidies. For more click here:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151424664279454.500776.11791104453&type=3

For more information on taxpayer-paid oil subsidies, please click here: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/fmatzner/oilsubsidies.html