Shocker: GOP-Backed Spending Cuts Led To Widespread, Across-The-Board Job Losses

A report released by the Center for American Progress officially confirms that the GOP's relentless cut-cut-cut methodology last spring resulted in the loss of over 370,000 jobs in infrastructure, law enforcement and education, to name a few. As an example, $2.5 billion in cuts to law enforcement and first responder programs cost 36,000 jobs and postponed the cleanup of nuclear weapons waste.

"To get a clear picture of the efforts by the current Congress to eliminate jobs requires only a visit to the House Appropriations Committee official web site and an examination of a table entitled 'FY 2011 CONTINUING RESOLUTION REDUCTIONS.' The table lists a little more than 250 programs that the commit-tee claims to have cut by a total of $45 billion in fiscal year 2011, which ended in October. Not all of the claimed cuts actually reduced either spending or jobs; they claim, for example, to have cut $6 billion from the Decennial Census despite the fact that virtually no one expected a Decennial Census in 2011. But there are significant job losses associated with most of the document. While many discussions of potential job losses from reductions in government spending seem abstract and theoretical, these cuts are clearly resulting in real pink slips being delivered to real people.

Similar stories could be told about many other budget cuts made in this bill—cuts that resulted in further job losses—but that would require many more pages and exhaust the patience of most readers. All of the various 250 program reductions in the FY 2011 continuing resolution probably eliminated more 370,000 jobs. The three areas selected for discussion in this paper are in my judgment neither the worst cuts made by the committee from a policy standpoint nor the best. But without a doubt they demonstrate the consequences of slashing government spending in a weak economy."

You can read the report in its entirety HERE.