WASHINGTON, D.C. – On May 31, 2023, Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.) released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the Bipartisan Budget Agreement.
“Tonight, I voted to advance the Bipartisan Budget Agreement – a deal that will save our economy from a devastating default on our debt. The Bipartisan Budget Agreement prevents the worst possible economic crisis while rejecting Republicans’ most extreme demands to slash crucial programs for children and families.
“We were always going to need to negotiate next year’s budget – and that’s what we did. With the House and Senate divided, that’s never an easy job. House Republicans chose to make it even more difficult by taking the debt ceiling hostage and willingly risking the collapse of our economy. These negotiations showed us once again the contrast between the recklessness of House Republicans and the steadfast leadership of President Biden and his administration.
“Democrats were able to protect critical services for education, health care, and housing, safeguard veterans’ health care, fend off Republican efforts to cut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and revert spending back to Fiscal Year 2022 levels. The deal does not reflect Republican attempts to reverse President Biden and Congressional Democrats’ major victories from the past two years, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act, the PACT Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act’s corporate minimum tax, prescription drug, and clean energy provisions.
“The bill represents a compromise, which means not everyone gets what they want. I am disappointed in certain measures in the bill related to expanded work requirements for vital nutrition and assistance programs, rescissions of IRS and COVID-19 funding, and harmful environmental provisions that have nothing to do with the national budget.
“House Republicans were willing to tank the entire U.S. and global economy, which would have had a devastating impact on the livelihoods of millions of individuals and families across the country. President Biden did the responsible thing by cutting a deal that prevents a devastating default on our debt, averts a government shutdown, and avoids the worst outcomes for everyday Americans.”
Original source can be found here.
