WASHINGTON, DC -fter President Obama released his FY14 budget, Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement:

The President's budget includes important new proposals to help working families and we stand with him in his call to create jobs and expand our economic recovery. We are also encouraged by his commitment to early learning and child care and look forward to working with the Administration to make these new proposals a real solution for working families.

"We object to the President's proposals to cut Social Security and Medicare. Social Security has never been contributing factor to the deficit and we cannot leave seniors out in the cold. Our nation must honor our elders with retirement and health security that they have earned through a lifetime of hard work. The President and Congress need to work toward a commonsense solution that addresses the aging of our nation and strengthens and expands Social Security to all working Americans. /p>

"On Medicare, healthcare workers and healthcare employers want to partner to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in the system and expand on the healthcare redesigns that have improved quality and reduced cost. Medicare costs have not risen in two years because of reforms and restructuring at the federal, state and local levels. Healthcare providers can continue to build on these reforms and efficiencies, but not under the weight of massive cuts.

"To truly address the deficit and continue our economic recovery, we must focus on creating more good jobs. That should be priority number one."

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