Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to explain my vote for the Continuing Resolution, H.R. 933. It is a deeply flawed bill that fails to adequately address the mindless cuts of the sequester; however, I believe it is an improvement over the current budget status quo and will help ease the pain of the sequester cuts for El Paso. We should be voting on a balanced plan to end the sequester. I and other members have attempted to introduce legislation that would replace the sequester. In fact, we even tried to force a vote today to do this once again, but have been continually and repeatedly blocked by the majority at every turn. The non-partisan CBO says that the sequester will mean 750,000 lost jobs across the country. In El Paso, 20,000 federal workers, including those that protect our borders and care for our wounded warriors, are facing furloughs and continued pay freezes because Congress has not acted. Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke recently testified that the sequester cuts will actually make it more difficult to address our long-term deficits because it will slow economic growth. The sequester will also mean fewer teachers in our classrooms, less Head Start spots for low-income children, and cuts to job-training programs that help dislocated workers find employment. The bill before us today recognizes that the sequester is irresponsible and it provides relief from the negative impacts of the sequester for two agencies--the Veterans Administration and the Defense Department.…”