Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy Statement On The House Passage Of An Omnibus Appropriations Bill
What the House passed today does not bring us any closer to responsibly funding the government, and it will not pass the Senate. It wastes billions of taxpayer dollars on a useless border wall, which the President promised that Mexico would pay for, and contains poison-pill riders that have no place in the appropriations process. Its proposed increase for defense spending is a lie to the American people that would shatter the budget caps set in place by the Budget Control Act. This would directly result in a 13 percent sequester on national security programs starting in January, severely undermining our military readiness.
This is not a real solution. We need a bipartisan budget deal based on parity, like the ones we had in 2013 and in 2015, that raises the post-sequester budget caps for both defense and non-defense programs to address the needs and the real priorities of our nation.
I have been calling for these negotiations for months. It is time we get serious.
# # # # #
CONTACT: Jay Tilton – 202-224-2667
Next Article Previous Article