Congressman Bishop Statement Regarding Budget Agreement, Debt Limit

Statement

Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement regarding the U.S. House passage of the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1314, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The agreement provides two years of sequester relief for both defense and non-defense priorities. The deal prevents a sharp increase in Medicare Part B premiums for certain beneficiaries in 2016 and includes a clean debt limit suspension until March 2017.

"After years of damage due to sequestration, the bipartisan budget agreement as passed by the House finally represents a step in the right direction," said Congressman Bishop. "Reflecting the values held by many in Georgia, we have worked across the aisle to pass a budget to protect our seniors, invest in job training and veterans' medical care, and keep America safe."

The agreement provides additional resources and the funding stability needed to protect our country, counter future threats, and take care of the nation's Armed Forces. It provides significant resources for the Department of Defense to ensure military readiness and prepare for threats faced in the future. The passed version of the budget agreement avoids proposed cuts to crop insurance. The budget agreement will also avoid harmful funding cuts for national security activities at non-defense agencies like State, Homeland Security, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"The budget compromise will avert a manufactured crisis, help our economy continue to strengthen, and provide crucial investment in our nation's future as the agreement is major step forward for education, health care research, and our economy," continued Congressman Bishop.

Analysis of CBO's previous estimates suggests that this budget agreement will lead to 340,000 additional American jobs in 2016 alone. It boosts growth and job creation, provides greater certainty to American businesses and workers, and avoids the manufactured crises that have led to shutdowns and fiscal brinkmanship in the past.

"Legislating from one fiscal crisis to another is no way to govern. The budget agreement proves that Congress can still solve problems by working together in a bipartisan manner. It is a win for the American people," concluded Congressman Bishop.

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