Washington, DC--Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) issued the following statement after voting no on legislation related to the sequestration, which was negotiated as part of the Budget Control Act of 2011 to reduce the deficit.  The sequestration was designed to be a harsh alternative should the bipartisan SuperCommittee fail to develop a plan to reduce the deficit. 

“This bill has transparency in its name, but it isn’t about transparency.  It is designed to be a political hit against the President.  Congress must do its job and pass a realistic deficit plan, not pass the buck.  This bill is campaign fodder and fails to put us on a path towards making the difficult decisions required to avoid the sequestration cuts and replace them with a balanced approach of cuts and revenue.  I voted against the Budget Control Act because Congress must make these tough budgetary decisions; not the President, not the SuperCommittee.  We must stop posturing and begin good faith negotiations to bypass sequestration, develop a grand deal and do what’s right for our economy and those Americans still out of work.”

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