WASHINGTON, DC – Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement after both parties announced their selections to serve on the “supercommittee” that is charged with finding $1.5 trillion in budget cuts:

“Which Members serve on the new ‘supercommittee’ is not as important as the work they are charged with doing.

“Regardless of the committee’s makeup, developing recommendations that will both preserve and create jobs should be at the top of its priority list. Nothing is more important than getting America back to work if we want to get our economy back on its feet.

“We also expect the committee to find a balanced approach to reducing the deficit. Members should come to the table with open minds, but with the full understanding that the decisions they make will have significant ramifications for years to come on seniors, low-income families, the unemployed and working families – those who should not be forced to shoulder the burden of any deficit reduction measures.

“The committee’s recommendations must include revenue and must protect vital programs like Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security that provide a lifeline for millions of Americans. The committee must also preserve our investments in future generations of Americans such as child care services and education programs. A cut-only approach will not work and will end up shifting responsibility to already stretched state budgets and costing millions of jobs.

“More partisan gridlock is not an option. We cannot afford a replay of political brinksmanship we saw with the debt ceiling debate. The issues are too serious and the potential impact too great for this new committee to do anything other than work together to create a balanced approach to addressing our deficit.”

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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