Statement

Congressman Joe Courtney today released the following statement after voting "yes" on the bipartisan compromise debt agreement:

"This negotiated, bipartisan bill includes items important to Democrats and Republicans, as any compromise should. With just hours to spare before the United States would default, it is also the only viable path to avoiding economic catastrophe. Like the Reid plan I voted for on Saturday, the compromise protects seniors by prohibiting automatic cuts to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries, cuts which I have consistently opposed. It also provides long-term peace of mind to families and financial markets by ensuring that we are not engaged in this divisive, unnecessary debate just six monthsfrom now.

"This plan is far from perfect, but it succeeds on some critical fronts. It locks down a significant payment toward deficit reduction, while also establishing a bipartisan process to address larger savings and tax reform in the future, including waste at the Pentagon. With this long process finally over, Congress must focus its attention where the American people have wanted it all along: on job creation and protecting our fragile economic recovery."