"Like most Americans, I have been exceptionally frustrated by the Republicans' insistence on drawing out this self-inflicted crisis until the last possible moment. However, I'm glad that we've reached an agreement to extend tax cuts for middle-class families and protect two million Americans from immediately losing their unemployment lifeline, something that I worked to make a priority in these negotiations. In the New Year, we must come together to achieve long-term solutions to our nation's financial challenges. With yet another manufactured Washington crisis behind us, I hope that 2013 will be the year that Republicans stop attempting to put millionaires before middle-class families."