Pallone Statement on Passage of Budget Agreement
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, made the following statement on the budget agreement reached by House and Senate leaders and passed today by the House.
“While this budget deal is not perfect, and though the Republicans took the country down to the 11th hour with their calendar of chaos, I am pleased that in the end we were able to come together in a bipartisan way. The agreement will maintain the full faith and credit of the nation, help the economy grow, build middle-class economic security, and protect our seniors, while keeping America safe. By extending spending through 2017 and averting several looming crises, the agreement is a good faith attempt to get us back to the normal budget process. It is amazing what can happen when Republicans stop the political games for a moment and agree to work with Democrats.
“It keeps our promise to our nation’s seniors. Despite Republican opposition, the agreement protects Social Security and Medicare by putting an end to impending cuts to Social Security Disability Insurance benefits and staving off a drastic Medicare premium increase for about 16 million seniors.
“In addition to avoiding cuts to national security agencies, the budget provides the sequester relief Democrats have been advocating for – an equal dollar-for-dollar amount of assistance for defense and non-defense investments. By putting an end to the Republican-imposed sequester spending levels, the agreement will allow for important investments in education, job training, veterans’ medical care and research funding for NIH.