Luke Messer: “I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding me time. I rise in support of the bipartisan budget act, the underlying…”

“I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding me time. I rise in support of the bipartisan budget act, the underlying rule, and Chairman Ryan's hard work. This isn't a perfect deal, but it is better than the alternative. This bill replaces some of the indiscriminate spending cuts called for by sequestration and replaces it with smarter ones; it makes modest reforms that will reduce the deficit without raising taxes; and it continues our Nation's trajectory toward a more fiscally responsible government. I agree with those critics who say this bill doesn't solve all of our Nation's budget problems, but ``no'' can't always be the answer. Reality is that we have a Democratic President and a Democrat-led Senate. Given that reality, this is a solid deal. And virtually everyone agrees that we don't need another government shutdown. It is time to put politics aside and make genuine progress on ending wasteful Washington spending. This is a good first step in that direction. Let's not be afraid to take that step and move forward toward common ground from which we can continue fighting for fiscal sanity for hardworking taxpayers.”