Luján Statement on Budget Cap Agreement and Short-Term Spending Bill

Statement

Congressman Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) today issued the following statement on the Republican budget cap agreement and spending bill passed early this morning in the House:

"Though the budget measure presented to the House includes a number of positive provisions, it still represents a failure of leadership and a refusal to compromise by Speaker Ryan and House Republicans.

This is the fifth time that Republicans have asked for an extension to complete the basic responsibility of funding our government. And many important issues were not fully addressed or not dealt with at all.

The bill fails to take the necessary steps to stabilize the health insurance market, which the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans have sabotaged; it piles more unpaid-for tax breaks for corporations on top of the recent GOP tax scam that exploded our deficit; it fails to permanently reauthorize CHIP; and it needlessly cuts the healthcare prevention fund.

It also fails to provide a workable path forward for DACA recipients and DREAMers despite repeated promises from the White House to meaningfully address the problem before the March 5th deadline.

I could not support a flawed bill based on hollow promises and unmet commitments. To move our country forward, Speaker Ryan and Congressional Republicans need to come to the table and work with Democrats to find genuine bipartisan solutions to the challenges facing our nation."

Source