Sunday, June 19, 2011

Ryan takes extreme position, votes to hurt indigent women and children

Ryanwatch reports on HR 2112, the Agricultural Appropriations Bill, debated June 15-16:
On nine  separate votes, Ryan was MORE extreme than his Republican colleagues:

Most Extreme: Ryan votes for Broun Amendment (H Amdt 438) to cut funding for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition program by $604 million. (RC 430, Jun 15)
Here's how Joe Conason  frames the vote:

By cutting ... WIC, according to the experts at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the subcommittee will deprive hundreds of thousands of indigent women and children of program services, which include healthy foods, nutrition counseling and referrals to health care providers when necessary. The exact number of victims will depend on how fast food prices go up. But there will surely be many more infants and children who must cope with the ill effects of low birth weight and anemia, and all the other ills arising from bad nutrition in this wealthy and verdant nation.

As usual, the mean impulse to save money by punishing the poor is short-sighted, since the obvious result is a growing population that is either crippled at birth or ruined in youth, requiring expensive hospitalization, special education or, eventually, prison cells.
Republicans reject this extreme budget cutting 64-173. Ryan votes YES.

Much more at Ryanwatch.

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