New Hampshire labor unions are calling on Congressmen Bass and Guinta to avert automatic budget cuts, laid out in a deficit reduction deal between Democrats and Republicans last year. As things stand now, on January 1st mandatory budget cuts will be imposed on defense spending, Medicare, and discretionary spending – unless the current members of Congress do something to stop them.
No matter who wins on November 6th, President of the New Hampshire AFL-CIO Mark Mackenzie says, it will be this year’s lame duck Congress who will have to deal with automatic cuts.
Mackenzie: When the elections are over this is not over. They have to do something or this stuff will all go into place and cause enormous cutbacks all over the government.
New Hampshire labor representatives dropped off petitions urging Bass and Guinta to come up with a long-term deficit reduction package that won’t trim spending so dramatically. But whether or not legislators will be able to negotiate such a package during the lame duck session is another question.
