 On Wednesday, Eighth District Congressman Larry Bucshon, M.D. voted against the Budget Agreement negotiated by Congressional leaders and President Obama. Following his vote, Bucshon released the following statement explaining the agreement failed to follow regular order and was presented to members with little notice:
“I was hopeful we could come to an agreement that would tackle the challenges we face with our nation’s debt,â€Â said Bucshon.“Unfortunately, this deal was negotiated by Congressional leadership and the White House with little input from members, was not adequately vetted through the regular legislative process, and was presented to the House with little notice. That’s not regular order and that’s not the way the process should work. Â
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“In addition, discretionary spending was increased without substantial enough mandatory spending reforms to not only offset the increase, but put us on a budget trajectory to pay off our $18 trillion national debt. This deal also failed to provide certainty for Indiana’s agriculture industry. The farm bill was reopened and the crop insurance program was changed. Even though the promise of fixing this provision at a later date was made, I could not trust that it would happen. The risk to Indiana’s farmers is too high.
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“Finally, I am pleased additional resources are being invested in our military; however, this goal could have been accomplished through the regular legislative order. Hoosiers want more from Washington. This agreement simply does not reflect the priorities of the people I represent.â€
H.R. 1314, the Bipartisan Budget Act, is a two-year budget deal that suspends the federal debt limit until March 2017 and breaks the budget caps for defense and non-defense programs passed in 2011. It adds $1.5 trillion to the current $18.1 trillion national debt and increases discretionary spending by $80 billion over two years.Â
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H.R. 1314 passed the House by a vote of 266 to 167 with 79 Republicans voted in favor and 167 Republicans voting against.
