House Majority Appropriations Bill Attacks the Other 99 Percent

Read the full column (CAP)

Conservatives in Congress last week quietly issued another sweeping attack on health, education, and workplace support for middle-class Americans—while preserving protections for the privileged top 1 percent. The conservative assault on the other 99 percent was buried in 150 pages of legislation drafted within the Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee.

At a time when unemployment is near record levels and middle-class incomes stagnate, the bill seeks to eliminate funding for job training and gut basic protections for workers that help ensure they are paid what they are owed. It would slash Pell Grant funding and protects the interests of big businesses by letting colleges (particularly for-profit ones) off the hook for their students’ poor outcomes. And with U.S. poverty rates at a 17-year high, the legislation would slash energy assistance for the vulnerable. It also seeks to overturn policies that ensure all Americans have access to health care.