The U.S. Senate gave its bipartisan approval Wednesday to a two year budget agreement.
Both of Vermont’s U.S. Senators supported the deal but with very different levels of enthusiasm.
The agreement, which has already been approved by the House, rolls back some of the sequestration automatic budget cuts in defense, human services, and environmental programs, and it creates a basic budget framework for the next two years.
The plan pays for this restoration of spending initiatives by imposing new airline ticket fees, slowing the growth of some military pensions, raising federal employee pension contributions, and extending reductions in Medicare provider payments.
Senator Patrick Leahy said on balance, it’s a good agreement.
“It is better than no agreement and I don’t mean that to denigrate it I think it’s very important that we get back to regular order and having these budgets,” said Leahy. “Does it have everything we like of course not but it has protected a number of things Social Security and others that are important.”
It has been several years since the House and Senate have agreed on a long term budget bill. Leahy said the deal should help stimulate the national economy. “You can’t have people say ‘Oh we’re going to shut down the government look at how we’re standing up for you.’ Well that’s not standing up to anybody that’s hurting businesses it’s hurt businesses in Vermont. It hurts businesses everywhere,” said Leahy. “If you have uncertainty you cannot grow an economy.”
I voted for the budget agreement but very much of a lesser of two evils - Senator Bernie Sanders
Senator Bernie Sanders was less enthusiastic about the compromise budget plan.
“I voted for the budget agreement but very much of a lesser of two evils,” said Sanders. “What this budget agreement did not do is ask corporate America to pay another nickel in taxes or end any of these outrageous loopholes which are costing us close to $100 billion a year. So we did not deal with that at all.”
But Sanders is pleased with certain aspects of the deal.
“We managed once again to stave off cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid something that is very important to the people of Vermont,” said Sanders. “And furthermore because we partially end sequestration more money will be coming into programs like Head Start, WIC, LIHEAP, and other nutrition programs which are really also very important to our state.”
Sanders is very disappointed that the budget agreement doesn’t include an extension of long term unemployment benefits and he said more than a million people will lose their benefits next month if Congress doesn’t promptly pass an extension in the beginning on January.
