New Democrat Coalition Members’ Statement on the Bipartisan Omnibus
Today, New Democrat Coalition Chair Jim Himes (CT-04) and Vice Chair Derek Kilmer (WA-06), an Appropriator and Member of the Joint Select Committee on Budget and Appropriations Process Reform, released the following statement on the omnibus that was signed into law:
“No compromise is ever perfect, but this week’s funding bill, which passed the House of Representatives with significant bipartisan support, provides investments in national security, the National Institute of Health (NIH), infrastructure, housing, and many other priorities. The bill also makes important progress through provisions that will help create jobs and increase economic opportunity across our nation.
“Congress has to stop lurching from crisis to crisis when it comes to funding our government and giving Americans the certainty they need. We need a thoughtful, fiscally responsible approach to our governing – one that doesn’t leave us less than 24 hours to review a bill with over 2,000 pages. That’s no way to do business.
“As with any large bill, this was messy and involved compromise on both sides. We didn’t see the exact results that we wanted. Especially disappointing is the lack of any progress toward a fix for Dreamers and the DACA program. But, having overcome a major hurdle by funding the government through this fiscal year, we can now increase our efforts to make progress in all the important areas that weren’t included. New Democrats are committed to working with Members on both sides of the aisle to propose long-term changes to Congress’s budgeting process and, ultimately, end the dysfunction that has produced government shutdowns and temporary spending plans.”
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