FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2012
Contact: Tom Guild, Democratic Nominee for Congress in Oklahoma’s Fifth District
Phone: 405-921-3811 or Email: TomGuild@sbcglobal.net
Web: www.guildforcongress.com
Incumbent Congressman’s Vote Puts 16,000 Oklahoma Jobs At Risk
Sequester Legally Required By Incumbent’s Vote May Seriously Damage U.S./Oklahoma Economy
Oklahoma City – Tom Guild, the Democratic Nominee for Congress from Oklahoma’s Fifth Congressional District, declares that the incumbent Congressman’s vote puts 16,000 Oklahoma jobs at risk and the sequester legally required by incumbent’s vote may seriously damage U.S./Oklahoma economy.
All five of Oklahoma’s House Members, including fifth district incumbent James Lankford, voted for the budget deal enacted into law in August 2011, which called for the appointment of a congressional “super” committee that would work to find common ground for cuts in the federal budget. If the “super” committee failed to reach agreement, which it did, the law supported by the entire Oklahoma house delegation, including the fifth district incumbent, mandates the sequestration of funds (automatic budget cuts) to take effect starting on January 2, 2013. $500 billion of the pending sequestration or automatic cuts would be in the defense department. The rest would be mostly in social programs affecting the safety net.
An academic study showed that 16,000 Oklahoma workers, half in jobs related to the defense industry, would lose their jobs in the next 15 months if the $1.2 trillion in sequester or cuts go into effect.
“Congressman Lankford voted for the 2011 budget deal. He showed poor judgment in playing games with his vote to raise the debt ceiling. His refusal to cast his vote logically and wisely, and his brinksmanship behavior, could ultimately bring the American economy to its knees. His actions led directly to the mess and crisis currently facing our country. His irrational, partisan and ill-advised behavior and vote led directly to the downgrading of the U.S. credit rating in 2011 for the first time in American history.
We would not be in this position if House Republicans would have simply voted to raise the debt ceiling in August 2011 without insisting on budget cuts and without unnecessary drama. This would have allowed our country to pay its bills that Congress has racked up in recent years. Sequestration in January 2013 would likely stifle the current recovery and take the national economy back into recession.
For the incumbent to complain about the pending automatic cuts (sequestration), caused by his vote in Congress, is a day late and a dollar short. He should have considered these possibilities before he cast his vote for the budget deal. If 16,000 Oklahomans are thrown out of work and the economy is dramatically harmed, the congressman has only himself and his actions to blame. To show concern at this point, considering the role he played in creating this mess, is to say the least hypocrisy and simply an attempt to further his own selfish political ambitions and employment at taxpayer expense,” stated Tom Guild.
Guild is currently running as the Democratic Party Nominee for the congressional seat in the Fifth District of Oklahoma. For more information about Tom and his campaign, visit www.guildforcongress.com
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