Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., expressed deep concern over the budget reconciliation legislation passed by the House of Representatives late last night. The “Deficit Reduction Act of 2005” (H.R. 4241) rejects and ignores Latino priorities.

“This budget reconciliation bill is bad for Hispanics and bad for America as a whole,” said Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO. “This legislation completely ignores the reality that millions of families face each day as they try to help their children obtain a quality education, provide them with health care coverage, and place food on the table.”

Supporters of the “Deficit Reduction Act of 2005” contend that cutting higher education student aid, Medicaid, and the Food Stamp Program is necessary to reduce the federal budget deficit. However, these funding cuts significantly undermine our nation’s schools and future workforce, would further increase the number of Hispanic and other Americans who do not receive adequate health care, and decrease food security for millions of low-income families.

“NCLR understands that we must address the federal budget deficit,” continued Murguia. “But we question the wisdom of targeting programs that serve the poor as a means to this end. This budget reconciliation bill would severely weaken programs that effectively serve low- and middle-income families, while doing little to balance the budget. We urge Congress to reject this bill and go back to the drawing board. America deserves better.”