Cuts Target Women and Children: UPDATE

According to Greg Sargent, cuts to the Senate American Reinvestment and Recovery Act that are being considered by Senator Ben Nelson [D] and Senator Susan Collins [R] and the bipartisan group of Senators includes Head Start, Child Nutrition, Food Stamps and Public Transit.

Here is what’s being eyed in the bill right now:
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Total Reductions: $80 billion
Eliminations: Head Start, Education for the Disadvantaged, School improvement, Child Nutrition, Firefighters, Transportation Security Administration, Coast Guard, Prisons, COPS Hiring, Violence Against Women, NASA, NSF, Western Area Power Administration, CDC, Food Stamps
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Reductions: Public Transit $3.4 billion, School Construction $60 billion
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Increases:Defense operations and procurement, STAG Grants, Brownfields, Additional transportation funding
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Nelson spokesperson Clay Westrope confirms the authenticity of the memo, adding that the figures obviously could change. But this is currently the general direction.

As you can see the amount being cut appears to have fallen, to a total of $80 billion, though Westrope says the actual number is closer to $100 billion. Also, it appears some of those cuts are being maintained even as defense funds appear to be getting added.

I received another email stating that $77.9 billion of the reduction cuts include a large portion of the science funding. Here is what is being proposed to be cut from the bill, according to TPM:

NASA exploration $750,000,000 = 50%

NSF $1,402,000,000 = 100%

NOAA $427,000,000 = 34.94%

NIST $218,000,000 = 37.91%

DOE energy efficiency & renewable energy $1,000,000,000 = 38%

DOE office of science $100,000,000 = 100%

It is time to call your Senators and “urge them to support science funding.”

That means pick up the telephone and call 202-224-3121 (or use the toll-free service at 866-544-7573). Ask the Capitol operator to transfer you to one of your state’s U.S. senators. When you’re connected, say you’re calling to urge your senator to “support the Obama economic recovery plan and oppose all conservative amendments.” Call back and repeat for your other senator. Then contact everyone you know and urge them to do the same.

UPDATE: Compromising Away One Million Jobs...Or Is It Two? Via Daily Kos:

The so-called "moderate compromise" in the Senate cuts $140 billion in spending from the stimulus legislation, but leaves in place between $300 billion and $350 billion in tax cuts.

This is important, because it's not just how much they cut, it's what they cut.

So what does that mean for the Senate "compromise"? It means it will generate between 1 million and 2.5 million fewer jobs than the original
proposal.