REACTIONS TO THE BUDGET AGREEMENT DEC. 10, 2013

Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Paul Ryan

Conor Sweeney (Ryan)
Eli Zupnick (Murray)

Murray and Ryan Introduce Bipartisan Budget-Conference Agreement

Two-year budget agreement would avoid government shutdown in January, provide certainty to businesses and families, and return budget process to regular order

Bipartisan agreement would provide sequester relief for defense and domestic priorities—fully offset by concrete savings and reforms—and further reduce the deficit
 
Short-term agreement breaks through partisan gridlock and can serve as foundation for continued bipartisan work

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Senate Budget Committee chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced that they have reached a two-year budget agreement in advance of the budget conference’s December 13th deadline.
 
“I’m proud of this agreement,” said Chairman Ryan. “It reduces the deficit—without raising taxes. And it cuts spending in a smarter way. It’s a firm step in the right direction, and I ask all my colleagues in the House to support it.”
 

“This agreement breaks through the recent dysfunction to prevent another government shutdown and roll back sequestration’s cuts to defense and domestic investments in a balanced way,” said Chairman Murray. “It’s a good step in the right direction that can hopefully rebuild some trust and serve as a foundation for continued bipartisan work.”
 
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 would set overall discretionary spending for the current fiscal year at $1.012 trillion—about halfway between the Senate budget level of $1.058 trillion and the House budget level of $967 billion. The agreement would provide $63 billion in sequester relief over two years, split evenly between defense and non-defense programs. In fiscal year 2014, defense discretionary spending would be set at $520.5 billion, and non-defense discretionary spending would be set at $491.8 billion.
 
The sequester relief is fully offset by savings elsewhere in the budget. The agreement includes dozens of specific deficit-reduction provisions, with mandatory savings and non-tax revenue totaling approximately $85 billion. The agreement would reduce the deficit by between $20 and $23 billion.
 
The House of Representatives is expected to take up the Bipartisan Budget Act first, followed by the Senate. If this bill is signed into law, the appropriations committees will then be able to work on spending bills at an agreed-upon level in advance of the January 15th deadline.

Boehner Statement on House-Senate Budget Agreement

WASHINGTON, DC -- House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on the budget agreement reached between House & Senate Budget Committee Chairmen Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Patty Murray (D-WA):

“I am grateful for the work done by Chairmen Ryan and Murray. While modest in scale, this agreement represents a positive step forward by replacing one-time spending cuts with permanent reforms to mandatory spending programs that will produce real, lasting savings. This framework is consistent with sequester replacement legislation passed by the House in 2012.  It would also help to further reduce the deficit without tax hikes that would hurt our economy.  Lastly, this agreement would help protect important national security priorities.

“Federal spending remains on an unsustainable course.  Whether it is offering a plan to balance the budget, strengthen the federal safety net, or cut wasteful spending on behalf of hard-working taxpayers, only one party has led efforts to bring fiscal sanity back to Washington.  Republicans will continue to lead that effort because it is essential to growing our economy, expanding opportunity for all Americans, and preserving the American Dream.”


Pelosi Statement on Proposed Bipartisan Budget Agreement

Washington, D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement tonight after Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan unveiled a bipartisan budget agreement:

“Tonight’s agreement represents a step toward enacting a budget for the American people and preventing further manufactured crises that only harm our economy, destroy jobs, and weaken our middle class. 

“I look forward to discussing the details of the agreement with my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus.  Any budget agreement must ensure that we create jobs, grow the economy, strengthen the middle class, and reduce the deficit in a balanced and responsible way.”


Statement by the President on the Budget

Earlier this year, I called on Congress to work together on a balanced approach to a budget that grows our economy faster and creates more jobs – not through aimless, reckless spending cuts that harm our economy now, but by making sure we can afford to invest in the things that have always grown our economy and strengthened our middle class.  Today’s bipartisan budget agreement is a good first step.

This agreement replaces a portion of the across-the-board spending cuts known as "the sequester” that have harmed students, seniors, and middle-class families and served as a mindless drag on our economy over the last year.  It clears the path for critical investments in things like scientific research, which has the potential to unleash new innovation and new industries.  It’s balanced, and includes targeted fee increases and spending cuts designed in a way that doesn’t hurt our economy or break the ironclad promises we’ve made to our seniors. It does all this while slightly reducing our deficits over time – coming on top of four years of the fastest deficit reduction since the end of World War II.  And because it’s the first budget that leaders of both parties have agreed to in a few years, the American people should not have to endure the pain of another government shutdown for the next two years.

This agreement doesn’t include everything I’d like – and I know many Republicans feel the same way. That’s the nature of compromise. But it’s a good sign that Democrats and Republicans in Congress were able to come together and break the cycle of short-sighted, crisis-driven decision-making to get this done. That’s the way the American people expect Washington to work. I want to thank Senator Murray, Congressman Ryan and all the other leaders who helped forge this bipartisan agreement. And I want to call on Members of Congress from both parties to take the next step and actually pass a budget based on this agreement so I can sign it into law and our economy can continue growing and creating jobs without more Washington headwinds.

But, as I said last week, the defining challenge of our time is not whether Congress can pass a budget – it’s whether we can make sure our economy works for every working American. And while today’s agreement is a good first step, Congress has a lot more to do on that front. In the immediate term, Congress should extend unemployment insurance, so more than a million Americans looking for work don’t lose a vital economic lifeline right after Christmas, and our economy doesn’t take a hit. And beyond that, they should do more to expand broad-based growth and opportunity – by creating more jobs that pay better wages, by growing our economy, and by offering a path into the middle class for every American willing to work for it.
 
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American Conservative Union
Contact: Laura Rigas

STATEMENT FROM ACU CHAIRMAN AL CARDENAS ON TODAY'S BUDGET AGREEMENT

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Below is a statement from American Conservative Union (ACU) Chairman Al Cardenas on today's budget agreement:
 
"Conservatives prefer a wiser approach to cost cutting than the Sequester but appreciate the beginning of a more disciplined approach to spending. The solution is not to walk away from progress and add over $60 billion in spending over the next two years. We are not impressed by the cost cutting gimmicks and urge Members of Congress to tell the Budget Conference to get back to work!"


Founded in 1964, the ACU represents the views of Americans who are concerned with economic growth through lower taxes and reduced government spending and the issues of liberty, personal responsibility, traditional values and national security.  ACU first began rating members of Congress on key conservative voting issues in 1971, and since then their ratings system has become the most important conservative measuring stick in American politics.

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Dream Action Coalition
Contact:
Cesar Vargas
Co-Director

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** DREAMers ENCOURAGED OF BUDGET DEAL AS BOOSTING CHANCES FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM **

WASHINGTON DC- Earlier today, in a move that will hopefully take budget negotiations off the 2014 agenda, Representatives Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced a budget deal.  The budget calls for $1.012 trillion in federal spending in 2014, while replacing many sequestration cuts.  The DREAM Action Coalition stated: 
 
“While we have yet to see what this will do for our country and economy, one thing is certain: it will allow major political window and opportunity for immigration reform.
 
This year, immigration has had several things take the spotlight from reform, such as Syria crisis and Obamacare.  Although immigrant rights demonstrators have braved arrest time and again this year, stopping immigration busses, filling the National Mall with demonstrators and even infiltrating immigration detention facilities in protest of our broken immigration system, our political leaders continue to make excuses to pass legislation that will modernize an outdated immigration system.
 
The bipartisan budget deal is an encouraging sign that 2014 will be different. After being so unproductive and unpopular, it seems that Congress wants to get a budget deal out of the way so it can do some real legislating, and get into issues that they haven’t been able to recently.  If that’s the case, it’s hard to see how they could avoid coming up with an immigration deal.
 
Nevertheless, Dreamers will continue to pressure Speaker Boehner to commit on immigration and Democrats, like Rep. Xavier Berea, who see immigration as a political weapon solely to win seats.” 
 
 
Dream Action Coalition serves as a voice for undocumented youth and lobbying arm of the dream movement. Our work ensures that undocumented youth are represented in the halls of power and are correctly and directly informed of the actions of Congress, Executive Agencies, and the Courts.
 
www.DRMACTIONCOALITION.org 
 
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