We need your help. Washington Senator Patty Murray is one of just 12 members of the very powerful congressional super-committee charged with deciding how to cut the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over ten years. Time is short — the committee faces a deadline of November 23 — and the stakes are high.

Various proposals before the super-committee would reduce Social Security benefits and cut Medicare and Medicaid by as much as $685 billion. Each of these vital programs provides income security and health care to millions of Americans — mostly women.

Senator Murray needs to hear from you now! Over the next couple of weeks, the handful of members on the super-committee will decide the fate of these and other vital programs.

Please call 1-866-251-4044 today to tell Senator Murray:

– Oppose cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. That includes no Social Security COLA cut, no increase in the Medicare retirement age, and no slash in Medicaid funds.
– Protect other safety net programs for low-income Americans.
– Any deal must be balanced. NO additional spending cuts should be considered unless they are matched with equal amounts of new tax revenues. It’s time to make millionaires and corporations contribute to deficit reduction by paying their fair share of taxes.
Women in Washington state can’t afford to lose Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits. The average Social Security benefit for older women in Washington is just $12,400 per year. Even with Medicare, women often face higher out-of-pocket health care costs that strain lower incomes. And nearly 307,200 low-income women with disabilities, pregnant women, and parents in Washington relied on Medicaid for health care coverage, and nearly 60,600 elders relied on Medicaid for help with long-term care and other health expenses.

In Washington state and across the country, programs for women and their families have already been cut. But so far, tax breaks for millionaires and corporations haven’t been touched. We can’t balance the budget on the backs of women and their families. Please make a call today to demand that those with the greatest ability to pay contribute their fair share.

Please call 1-866-251-4044 today to tell Senator Murray: Protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

The super-committee is meeting now, mostly in secret, to develop its plan. But time is ticking away. Help us protect critical programs for women and families by taking action TODAY!

Sincerely,

Joan Entmacher
Vice President, Family Economic Security
National Women’s Law Center

Judy Waxman
Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center