Excerpt from: Autism Society (click for more information)
This month, I was invited to attend a meeting of disability leaders at
the White House on the possible implications of the fiscal cliff for
individuals with disabilities. The Autism Society was the only
autism-specific organization represented at this meeting of nationally
known and respected disability organizations.
At the meeting,
White House staff provided a detailed briefing on the current national
debate regarding the fiscal cliff. The fiscal cliff is the term for the
impending crisis facing the federal government on December 31, when
close to $500 billion in tax savings will end through the expiration of
previously approved tax cuts. Simultaneously, the Budget Control Act of
2011 (BCA) will take effect resulting in $500 billion in legislatively
mandated cuts. These two events occurring in concert are being referred
to as the fiscal cliff.
Given the enormity of these two events,
the Autism Society is calling for the President and Congress to take
action in order to steer the nation away from this fiscal cliff. In
order to avoid this fiscal crisis, there is general agreement that two
legislative actions must occur: a revenue increase for government and a
decrease in government spending. Magnifying the enormity of this task is
a fragile economy that would be profoundly affected by the lack of a
federal government response.
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