WASHINGTON -- February 7 -- FRANCES FOX PIVEN, fpiven@email.gc.cuny.edu, www.thenewpress.com/newbooks/warathome.htm
Author of the recent book The War at Home: The Domestic Costs of Bush's Militarism, Piven said today: "The new budget proposals continue the Republican strategy of emasculating the parts of government that serve ordinary Americans in order to build the military, subsidize corporations, and slash taxes on the affluent. With deficits rising and the dollar weakening, the policy threatens not only the well-being of millions of Americans, but the stability of the American economy." Piven is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. Her past books include The Breaking of the American Social Compact.

HEATHER BOUSHEY, hboushey@cepr.net, www.cepr.net
Boushey is an economist with the Center for Economic and Policy Research. She said today: "We are concerned that shrinking budgets for work supports shortchange working women and their families. Work supports such as Medicaid and child care subsidies are crucial in enabling low-income women to remain in the labor force after leaving welfare. ... Few jobs providing health benefits are available to these women on the low-end of the labor market. The situation for child care is worse since there is virtually no private sector equivalent to child care subsidies and working moms must be able to afford market prices for child care once subsidies quit."

ELIZABETH LETZLER, ckasica@faireconomy.org, www.responsiblewealth.org
Letzler is a member of Responsible Wealth, a national network of over 800 business people, investors and affluent Americans who are concerned about the deepening wealth divide in America and who advocate widespread prosperity. She said today: "We calculate that 257,000 American millionaires are scheduled to receive an average of $123,592 each in federal tax breaks this year ... that alone totals $32 billion. Today we're launching a drive to have these millionaires pledge to refuse the tax breaks and donate the proceeds to charity." Kasica works with United for a Fair Economy.

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