U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan said members of Congress "have to do better" than the compromise budget package unveiled earlier this week, saying "just because Congress has a deal does not mean Congress has done its job." 

 

Pocan, D-Madison, was the lone member of Wisconsin's House delegation to vote against the proposal, which passed by a 332-94 margin. He said while the deal provides "some minor relief" from federal sequestration over the next two years, continued cuts "will continue to do needless harm to our families, our students and our economy in the coming year and for years to come." 

 

He also said the bill "abandons 1.3 million Americans who desperately need unemployment insurance, and does nothing to promote economic growth or job creation." 

 

The remainder of the delegation, meanwhile, largely characterized the deal -- offered by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. -- as a small step toward bipartisan cooperation. 

 

"Given the current atmosphere here in Washington, it’s clear that we need to walk before we can run," said U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse. Fellow Dem Gwen Moore of Milwaukee said the proposal "affords us the opportunity to discuss items not directly related to the budget, such as passing comprehensive immigration reform." 

 

On the GOP side, U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble of Sherwood said he's "encouraged that Congress will -- for the first time since I’ve been in Washington -- return to a functioning budget process." 

 

U.S. Rep. Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac, called the budget "a strong starting point for further deficit reduction and government reforms," and U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Menomonee Falls, said, "While I wish the bill went further to address our nation’s debt, I supported it and commend my friend Paul Ryan for his dedication to our country’s fiscal stability." 

 

Ryan thanked members on both sides of the aisle for supporting the deal, saying it would "stop Washington’s lurch from crisis to crisis."

 

 

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