WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement on the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations between Congress and the White House:

“Today’s disappointing jobs report is proof that Congressional Republicans' plan to hold our economic recovery hostage for their own political gain is working at the expense of millions of Americans who are still looking for work. The right wing is using the uncertainty caused by the potential of defaulting on our financial obligations as leverage to institute their cut and gut economic policies.

“We cannot accept any deal on the debt limit that harms seniors, low-income Americans or adds one more worker to the unemployment rolls. That means we cannot accept billions in cuts to Medicaid and Medicare. Slashing these programs would turn seniors out of nursing homes, lead to millions of lost jobs and put more families into poverty. As the negotiations continue, Congress should also take cuts to Social Security off the table. Social Security has not added one penny to our deficit and should not be the targeted as a means toward reaching a deal.

“We support President Obama's call for ending spending on tax giveaways and using that money to put people back to work. This is exactly what Americans want and need. The best way to solve our budget problems is to put workers in good middle class jobs, invest in our people and expand opportunity. Now more than ever we need leaders who put working Americans first.

“We cannot let Washington ruin whatever small chance we have left to rescue the American Dream before it is too far out of reach for working people.”

With 2.1 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers—not just corporations and CEOs—benefit from today's global economy.

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