By Rachel Christiansen
Nationally acclaimed civil rights organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) joined forces with House Democrats Wednesday in opposition of the spending bill put forth by House Republican.
In an effort to publicize the negative effects of current budget cuts, Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) hosted a discussion forum including a panel of 16 witnesses from the ACLU, NAACP and other organizations.
Laura Murphy of the ACLU said budget cuts target the “most vulnerable” American citizens, threaten women’s health, infringe upon free internet access and “ties the president’s hands” in trying to close Guantanamo.
“The House’s continuing resolution is an across the board attack on Americans’ rights,” Murphy said.
The NAACP’s Hilary Shelton said that it is ill advised to make such dramatic cuts when “our economy is still too precarious and there are still too many people suffering.”