Washington, D.C. – Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Mark Pocan (W1-02) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement on the budget caps agreement:
“Eight years ago, Democrats and Republicans made a catastrophic mistake by adopting the Budget Control Act and putting us on a path to destructive and unnecessary sequestration. The American people have been paying the price ever since.
“With this agreement, we can finally begin to end this harmful chapter of self-inflicted austerity. It’s not a perfect deal by any means. However, it will allow for major, long-overdue investments in domestic priorities – including housing assistance, food aid, education and job training.
“Budgets are moral documents. Line item by line item, they outline the priorities and values of a nation. And for far too long, our budgets have revealed a callous indifference to working families across the country, while Pentagon spending has skyrocketed. This deal does not address the bloated Pentagon budget, but it does begin to close the gap in funding for families, by allocating more new non-defense spending than defense spending for the first time in many years.
“This is only the beginning of our work. Congress must do more to support working families and hold the Pentagon accountable for their wasteful and reckless budget. The Progressive Caucus will keep fighting for a budget that reflects both our values and the needs of the American people.”
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