Washington, D.C. - Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement upon passage of H.R. 1, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act 2011. A detailed list on how the cuts will impact the services provided by our members can be found at SEIU.org here.

"SEIU agrees that we must cut wasteful and unnecessary spending, but we should first close tax loopholes and end other tax breaks for the wealthy, end oil company subsidies and make government more accountable to people, not special interests. The way out of our fiscal crisis is to create good jobs but this week House Republicans have pushed through legislation that will throw nearly another million people out of work.

"Republican leaders have made it clear to America's working families - from our youngest children to our seniors to workers in need of jobs and a safe workplace - that their future is on the chopping block. The Republican budget threatens American innovation, hamper our global competitiveness and diminish investments in rebuilding America. Instead of creating jobs when we most need them, their plan would result in job losses and reduced services in virtually every community.

"This is nothing short of a disaster for many states and communities just getting to their feet from the Bush Recession and jeopardizes America's economic recovery. What else can you call the cuts to infrastructure construction projects and cuts to local governments, which will cut the jobs of police officers, firefighters and teachers and deprive local communities of their vital services?

"But they go further, kicking American workers while they are down by cutting funding for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Labor Relations Board. This legislation limits the ability of workers to know that they are going off to a safe workplace when they kiss their families goodbye in the morning and hamstrings their right to a voice at the workplace.

"We are seeing this week in Wisconsin that Americans are not going to stand for counterproductive measures that disproportionally harm those who can least afford them. SEIU is committed to strengthening our economy and tackling our short-term and long-term fiscal challenges in a responsible manner and we believe Congress should be listening to American families about what America's budget should look like. "

"

###