*Sequestration
The bipartisan legislation that Reps. Joe Kennedy and Ted Deutch introduced today in the House, along with the bill introduced by Reps. John Delaney and Kennedy, are important steps in the ongoing process of countering Iran’s aggression and blocking its support for terrorism. The introduction of these bills should send a strong signal to hardliners in Iran that backing terror or pursuing ballistic missile technologies – activities outside the scope of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) but still in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions – will merit decisive action from the Congress and our global partners.
We’re here today because the future of this country is being threatened by the Republican policy of sequestration.
We’re here to send a strong message by Democrats in the House and Senate and by Americans across the country that sequester – that’s a complicated word that I tell people starts with ‘S,’ which stands for stupid – must be replaced. The sequester harms our economy and our national security.
I find Alabama’s decision to close thirty-one satellite offices where residents can obtain a driver’s license deeply disturbing in light of that state’s 2011 law requiring every voter to present a state-issued photo identification to prove eligibility to cast a ballot.
This week, Republicans are negotiating an unworkable budget agreement that disinvests in our nation's long-term economic growth and makes it harder for working Americans to get ahead.
“I am opposing this bill because it breaks the principle that domestic spending cuts should not pay for higher defense spending.
I thank the Speaker. Arguably, Mr. Speaker, this Congress is the least productive one in which I have served over the last 33 years, both from a humanitarian standpoint and an economic one. This Congress has earned the disdain of the American people, irrespective of their party affiliation.
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a budget deal that set the funding levels of government for the next two years. I voted against this bill because it does not set our nation on a long-term fiscally-sustainable path, it does not replace the entire sequester, it did not extend unemployment insurance, it failed to address the debt limit, and it targeted hardworking federal employees and military pensions.
First of all, let me say America is advantaged by having two people who work on the Budget Committee who have great intellect, great integrity and care about America: Mr. Ryan from Wisconsin and Mr. Van Hollen from Maryland.
But the fact of the matter is, Chris Van Hollen is Ranking Member of the Budget Committee on our side - he has not been in any of these negotiations, nor have any of the other [members of the budget conference].