WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee and the conference committee tasked with reconciling the budgets passed by the Senate and House of Representatives, voted Tuesday to advance the agreement reached by conference committee chairs Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Congressman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). The Senate voted 67-33 to invoke cloture on the budget agreement, clearing the way for a vote on final passage on Wednesday.
“The budget we advanced today represents a commitment to compromise and shared sacrifice that has been absent from this chamber for far too long. While this agreement is not perfect, it represents a critical first step toward addressing the broader fiscal challenges facing our nation. This budget agreement will reduce our deficits, replace the harmful structure of the sequester for the next two years, and pave the way for restored funding in critical priority areas through a balance of targeted spending cuts and new revenue.
“Yet, like any compromise, this agreement could not accomplish everything we hoped. I am disappointed that a week after the agreement was announced, there is still no path forward in Congress for the preservation of unemployment insurance for millions of American jobseekers. With 3,600 in Delaware scheduled to lose their benefits in 11 days, Congress must act quickly to restore this vital lifeline. I am hopeful that the bipartisan progress made today is evidence that Congress can come together once again to address this and other important priorities for the American people.”