According to MoveOn.org more than 30,000 people are participating in a rolling fast to protest the immoral budget cuts Republicans are pushing in Washington. "We never imagined this would spread so far, so quickly. In fact, 28 progressive members of Congress have now joined in", an email from the site says.

A lot of pain is to come after the deal went down to avoid a government shutdown.

The cuts are to essential programs - including nutrition.  There's a $500-million reduction in funding for the federal health and nutrition program for women, infants and children, known as WIC which Paul Haeder and I covered here and here, respecitively.

The Environmental Protection Agency was spared from restrictions against its ability to regulate air and water pollution, including greenhouse gases that cause climate change. But the agency's budget is being cut by $1.6 billion, a 16% decrease from current levels.

Obama's high-speed-rail initiative was completely eliminated for 2011. The American Public Transportation Assn. called the cut "simply shortsighted" at a time when building rail lines could create jobs and begin to offer Americans relief from rising gasoline prices.

More thoughts on this tomorrow morning.



 

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