Patty Murray: “this is a good day for regular people. Today, we are putting our differences aside, making smart compromises, and…”

“this is a good day for regular people. Today, we are putting our differences aside, making smart compromises, and getting the peoples' work done. After 3 years of strife, partisanship, and government shutdowns, I am glad to see that this Congress is finally coming together for the good of the people. As I listen to the debate on the historic balanced budget reconciliation bill, I can't help but remember the first budget that I helped draft as a new Member of the Budget Committee, the 1993 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. It was a 5-year deficit reduction plan that reduced the deficit from nearly $300 billion in 1993 to about $60 billion for 1997. The 1993 plan had deep spending reductions and ambitious goals for reducing the deficit. But it also contained important new investments in our economy, our work force, and our children. That plan passed without one vote from the other side, which I think is unfortunate. I stood on the floor of the Senate and listened to speech after speech from my colleagues on the other side claiming the plan would force the economy into recession and explode the deficit. I am proud to stand here today and say that the exact opposite happened. Our economy is strong and growing at a steady rate, and the deficit has declined each year since. Balancing the budget is no longer an insurmountable goal. The 1993 plan brought us within reach. A lot of Members had the courage to make the tough calls back then.…”