SHAHEEN: CONGRESS MUST ACT TO AVOID SEQUESTER

(Salem, N.H.)  - U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) repeated her strong opposition to the slated automatic cuts to the federal budget today while meeting with Salem-based small business Micro-Precision Technologies. Shaheen visited Micro-Precision Technologies to tour their manufacturing facility and discuss the dire need for Congressional action to avoid the automatic budget cuts scheduled to go into effect March 1. 

“Domestic manufacturing companies like Micro-Precision Technologies are critical to our long-term economic growth and the United States’ competitive edge, but they’re also the type of business that will bear the harsh brunt of Congress’ inaction and inability to compromise if automatic cuts are enacted,” Shaheen said. “Too many are struggling to find work right now and it’s Congress’ job to do everything we can to help businesses grow and hire new workers. The current budget stand-off is unacceptably putting uncertainty in the marketplace and making growth extremely difficult. We must do better.”

Micro-Precision Technologies specializes in manufacturing Hybrid Integrated Circuits (HIC), Multichip Modules (MCM), high-precision thick film substrates for the military, industrial and commercial marketplace.  The company would be especially hard hit by the sweeping budget cuts to the Department of Defense.

“Congress has failed to come up with a long-term solution to get our debt and deficit under control, but if we act now, we can come up with a long-term solution that avoids the devastating toll sequestration will have throughout our economy,” Shaheen added.

Shaheen recently joined Republican Senator Susan Collins (ME) on the Senate floor to again call for immediate Congressional action to avoid automatic budget cuts and avert sequestration. Earlier this month, the New England senators sent a joint letter pressing Senate Leadership to swiftly arrive at a bipartisan, balanced deficit reduction solution that protects jobs and national security interests.