The Congressional supercommittee was created in August to reduce budget deficit by $1.2 trillion by November 23. But what does this budget reduction mean? In Washington’s current political climate, It means cutting Social Security, healthcare, education, infrastructure and other public programs that are important to the recovery of the economy for the majority of Americans, of whom 14 million are unemployed.
In this video produced by MoveOn.org, Robert Reich explains how the supercommittee’s budget cuts will depress the economy even further. But there is another way: Reich proposes four ways the supercommittee could cut the budget and help all Americans. Find out what they are and act.
This video is the second in this new series. Click here to watch the first episode and check back at TheNation.com each Wednesday for new episodes from Reich and MoveOn.org.
—Jin Zhao
Robert B. ReichRobert B. Reich, a former secretary of labor, is the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley and author of Beyond Outrage.