U.S. Rep. John Katko (NY-24) released the following statement on House passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act:
"This morning, with my support, the House passed a bipartisan budget measure.
"First and foremost, I supported this measure because it prioritizes our national defense. With this vote, Congress has lifted defense spending caps and provided a boost in military spending to ensure the safety of our nation both at home and abroad. With ongoing threats from North Korea and throughout the world, our military must be strengthened. This measure will ensure that the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for our freedom and our democracy have the resources that they need.
"Importantly, this measure increases support for our ongoing efforts to combat opioid addiction. As Central New Yorkers know all too well, this scourge is costing our community and our country exponentially. This budget invests significantly in addressing and ending this epidemic.
"This bipartisan measure contains several significant wins for Central New York. It prioritizes funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), delays cuts to Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payments, provides funding for community health centers, extends CHIP for 10 years, and will allow mental health providers to deliver greater levels of care in underserved communities by funding the National Health Service Corps. It addresses the pension crisis affecting a fair number of my constituents by creating a bicameral, bipartisan congressional commission on pension reform. Finally, this agreement will give our local farmers and producers relief by modifying the Margin Protection Program (MPP) for dairy producers and providing more risk management options for famers in obtaining Federal Crop Insurance.
"No budget agreement is perfect. But I believe that this measure provides long-term certainty and gets us away from short-term measures that only take us from crisis to crisis."