Orrin Hatch: “I want to once again express my support for the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of…”

“I want to once again express my support for the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of invoking cloture on this legislation. As I have said before, this is not a perfect bill, and I haven't heard anyone argue that it is. Indeed, any Senator looking for a reason to vote against this budget deal could easily find one. However, at the same time, this bill will accomplish a number of important tasks and clear a number of hurdles out of our way to allow us to govern more effectively in the coming months. For example, the bill will suspend the statutory debt limit through mid-March of 2017, eliminating the threat of an immediate default and ensuring that conflicts over the debt limit do not get swept up in the politicking and pandering of next year's election campaign. This bill will also extend the life of the Social Security Disability Insurance--or SSDI--trust fund for an additional 6 years, preventing massive benefit cuts to disabled American workers and removing the current uncertainty. It actually goes further than that, putting in place SSDI reforms that are the most significant changes to any Social Security program in more than 30 years--not an insignificant accomplishment. In addition, this legislation will prevent millions from seeing huge premium hikes in the Medicare Part B Program, again ensuring that our seniors don't suffer as a result of political gridlock and grandstanding in Congress.…”