Hanabusa Votes to Pass Debt Ceiling Deal

Statement

U.S. Representative Colleen Hanabusa (HI-01) today voted in favor of a deal that will end the government shutdown and raise the U.S. debt ceiling, averting a potentially catastrophic default on government obligations.

The measure extends continuing government funding through January 15, suspends the debt ceiling through February 7, provides retroactive pay for furloughed federal employees, and provides reimbursement to states that paid to carry out federal programs during the shutdown.

A separate measure calls for the appointment of conferees to start the budget negotiations that Democrats have requested since April.

"I want to thank Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for crafting this compromise," Hanabusa said, "and Speaker of the House John Boehner for bringing it to the floor for a vote. This has been a tremendously trying time for Congress, our federal workers, and our nation, but I am glad that cooler heads have prevailed and we have resolved these issues for the time being.

"While the deal wasn't perfect, it allows us to move forward without doing further damage to our nation or our economy. I hope that the time this provides us will allow Congress to finally address many of the pressing economic and policy issues we face regarding funding priorities, overall spending, and the tough but necessary work of crafting a responsible but effective federal budget. My main concern right now is that we do not take this as an excuse to lurch toward another self-imposed crisis because we are unable to address core issues.

"I intend to do everything I can to help support a productive budget process, and to ensure that Hawaii is well represented in those discussions.

The measure passed the House by a vote of 285-144, and now goes to President Obama for his signature.

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