Langevin Statement on Bipartisan Budget Agreement

Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) released the following statement in response to House passage, by a vote of 266 to 167, of H.R. 1214, the Bipartisan Budget Agreement:

“Today is a victory for bipartisanship and compromise in the Congress and for our country. Rather than continuing to govern by crisis, House Republican leadership decided to meet us in the middle and craft a two-year budget that – while not perfect – represents significant progress for middle-class families and reverses the most damaging impacts of sequestration.

“With an additional $80 billion in sequestration relief divided equally between defense and non-defense spending, we can make smart investments in programs that help to expand our economy and spur job creation. In fact, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that 340,000 jobs will be added in 2016 alone as a direct result of this agreement.

“Our economy will likewise be buoyed by the stability and predictability of a two-year budget agreement that includes a debt limit suspension to protect the full faith and credit of the United States. As a senior member of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees, I am also confident that this stability will help us to better protect our national security, strengthen our military readiness and take care of our troops.

“This budget agreement also prevents a significant increase in Medicare Part B premiums and deductibles that threatened millions of seniors, and prevents a potential 20 percent cut in Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. Instead, SSDI solvency is extended, loopholes are closed and our seniors and people with disabilities are protected.

“Demonstrations of bipartisanship have become far too infrequent in this legislative body, but I am hopeful that today’s budget agreement will represent a new beginning for Congress. The American people have had enough manufactured crises and internal bickering within the House, and I am eager to use this momentum to move forward in the right direction.”