It’s been a month since Congress came to its senses and ended the unnecessary federal government shutdown that turned families’ lives upside down and cost our economy millions of lost days of work.

Now it’s time for our lawmakers to – finally – get down to business, and we can make them do it.

As part of the October budget deal that re-opened the federal government, Congress established a joint House-Senate budget committee to find a path forward. The committee is meeting now, and their report is due to the House and Senate by December 13. That gives lawmakers just one month to consider the recommendations of the committee and pass a budget before the short-term continuing resolution expires on January 15, 2014.

December and January might sound far away, but the committee is meeting now and making decisions about the programs we care about now. One decision they should make is to get rid of the misguided across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration, which began in March. The effects of sequestration have been painful so far, and they will only get worse over time. Congress must support a transparent appropriations process that ends sequestration once and for all.

Want to make sure low-income women, infants, and children have access to the food they need?

Then we need to contact our senators today and urge them to pass a budget that ends sequestration once and for all.

Congress should resist calls to enact “flexibility” or exempt defense spending when it comes to sequestration. Congress must end sequestration, period.

The AAUW Action Fund Lobby Corps delivered this message to senators this morning, and now it’s time for you to drive it home. Please, take two minutes to urge your senators to support a transparent appropriations process that ends sequestration!