“I could not vote for the budget legislation on the House floor today that so unfairly takes money out of critical programs for Americans who need them the most – programs like WIC, which provides poor women and children with health care and nutrition assistance – while leaving others unscathed, including the Defense Department.  We cannot sacrifice the current generation in the name of protecting the next.

“This bill unfortunately reflects priorities that mandate too harsh a sacrifice for the poor and the middle-class, while not requiring any shared sacrifice from the wealthiest citizens of our country.

“I want to make clear my commitment to reducing the deficit and balancing the budget. But a federal budget should reflect our nation’s priorities, and, as such, it must not have the most vulnerable among us forced to make the most sacrifice.”