Rep. Peters Advances Bipartisan Deal to End Sequester and Restore NIH Funding

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) released the following statement after voting in favor of H.J.Res. 59, the bipartisan budget agreement that outlines federal government expenditures for the 2014 and 2015 fiscal years:

“I supported today’s budget agreement because it is the sort of bipartisan, reasonable solution that the people of San Diego expect from Congress. For the first time in four years we will replace crisis-to-crisis budgeting with a two-year plan that provides stability and predictability to agencies, basic scientific research programs, and the military. The sequester relief and flexibility that it allows are key to keeping our economic recovery on the upward trend.

“Further, this takes the option of a foolish government shutdown off the table for the next two years, providing the private sector with the opportunity to grow and create jobs without the potential of government-imposed economic disaster looming over their heads.

“When I ran for Congress, I promised a problem-solving approach that would replace the divisiveness and partisanship we’ve seen in DC during the last three years. This proposal is a step in the right direction. The fiscal uncertainty that Washington has plagued the country with over the past few years has to stop.  My goal has been a budget that adequately funds infrastructure, scientific research, education, and a strong national defense, while providing a sustainable safety net and tax reform that would fund the government while incentivizing domestic job-creation. Obviously, there is much more work to do. While I might have preferred a more comprehensive approach, this constitutes significant progress in a Congress that has long been broken.”

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