Washington, D.C. — 

Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) today issued a statement on his vote against the omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 3547), which is the funding vehicle for the federal government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2014:

“In 2011, Congress and the president made a promise to the American taxpayers that we would abide by strict budget caps in order to reduce federal spending, but this bill again violates that promise. I could not in good faith support an agreement that breaks the caps set by the Budget Control Act (BCA). The BCA, while imperfect, has led to two years of federal spending reductions for the first time since the 1950s. I have great reservations about undoing immediate reductions in spending and kicking the can down the road for future generations. It is time for Congress to get serious about making the tough decisions to put our country on a sustainable fiscal path.”