OPPOSING THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BUDGET PROPOSAL PUT FORWARD BY REP. PAUL RYAN

WHEREAS, the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a budget authored by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that would cut overall government spending by $5 trillion over 10 years while increasing defense spending; and

WHEREAS, the Ryan budget would repeal the Affordable Care Act and cut Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, education funding and other programs to such an extent that domestic spending would be reduced to the lowest levels since the government started its modern accounting system; and

WHEREAS, Medicare, under the Ryan plan, would be privatized through a voucher system; and

WHEREAS, the Ryan budget would as a result of its massive cuts in spending cause very serious disruption to the economy, including by increasing the unemployment rate, which is already at a high level:

RESOLVED, that the American Federation of Teachers strongly opposes the Ryan budget for its catastrophic cuts to essential programs that make up the domestic safely net and for its proposal to destroy Medicare as we know it; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT works to ensure that no parts of this destructive budget become law; and

RESOLVED, that the AFT calls on the U.S. Senate to stand firm in opposing the Ryan budget and to reject his proposed cuts and his desire to destroy Medicare, a program that represents one of America's greatest achievements.