FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2013
Contact:
Julian Teixeira
(202) 776-1812
jteixeira@nclr.org
Focus in Budget Debates Shouldn’t Be Cuts
The majority of registered Latino voters in three key swing states believe high-income individuals and corporations should be paying more toward reducing the federal deficit, according to a new survey released today by NCLR (National Council of La Raza). NCLR recently conducted an informal survey of more than 4,000 registered Latino voters in Florida, Colorado and Nevada, key swing states in the last presidential election, questioning participants about their views on the ongoing federal budget debate.
The key findings from the survey show that an overwhelming 92 percent of participants believe that balancing the federal budget should not place an undue burden on families or children, with more than 74 percent assigning this as a high priority. In addition, the survey also found that:
–More than 51 percent of participants agreed that high-income individuals and corporations should pay more to reduce the deficit.
–More than 30 percent of respondents believe that balancing the federal budget should include a combination of budget cuts and raising new revenue to invest in job creation.
“Our survey findings echo what NCLR has been saying since this federal budget debate began—the unnecessary budget cuts that Congress is forcing upon this country are completely out of line with what voters, particularly Latino voters, want,” said Janis Bowdler, Director of Economic Policy at NCLR. “Getting our fiscal house in order shouldn’t come at the expense of children and families, who have been paying the price of deficit reduction through steep cuts to education, health care and housing programs. The very wealthy should be paying into deficit reduction, and we should be finding new ways to generate revenue instead of cutting vital services that invest in the workers and taxpayers of tomorrow—America’s Latino community.”
In March, Congress was unable to agree upon a federal budget, which set sequestration into effect. These irrational and arbitrary budget cuts are severely hurting Latinos families and the economy, especially as more cuts are phased in over the coming months.
“In these three states where Latino voters made and will continue to make all the difference between winning and losing an election, elected officials need to listen to their constituents and stop the budget cuts,” Bowdler added. “Come midterm and the next general election, Latino voters won’t forget who chose to play politics with our future and who chose to protect our families and our economy.”
For a complete breakdown of the survey results, click here.
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans.
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