Today, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), the Ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, voted with 265 other Democratic and Republican Members of Congress to pass H.R. 1314, the Bipartisan Budget Agreement of 2015.  Congresswoman Roybal-Allard issued the following statement about her vote for the bill:

“I support the Bipartisan Budget Agreement of 2015.  While I have concerns about portions of the bill, including the impact it may have on some of our hospitals, there are important provisions in the bill that are essential to protecting the well-being of many Americans. 

“For example, the bill provides two years of sequester relief, and allows us to increase our investments in critical areas, including education, housing, health care, transportation, homeland security, and defense.  The agreement also suspends the debt limit until March 15, 2017. This will allow us to get back on track and plan for the future rather than continue governing from crisis to crisis.

“The measure keeps Medicare Part B premium costs down for millions of seniors and protects all Medicare beneficiaries from the projected increases in their deductibles.

“I am encouraged by this framework and hope that as the bill moves through the process, some of the areas of concern will be worked out, and that we will be able to pass bipartisan appropriations measures for fiscal years 2016 and 2017.”

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