Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-1) today voted in favor of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which passed the House 332-94.
“This deal is better than no deal, but work remains to get our nation’s spending under control and properly managed,” Wittman said. “In recent weeks, I led numerous briefings to educate Members on the effects of sequester cuts to our nation’s military. Members learned the devastating effects of these cuts on training and equipping those who serve our nation in uniform. It is the Constitutional duty of the Congress to provide for our nation’s defense, and this bill restores some of the indiscriminate cuts decimating our nation’s defense budget. In my mind, it does not go far enough, but some is better than none in this case. Our nation’s defense leaders support this measure. I have fought for the restoration of funds for our military’s readiness and am pleased to support the partial restoration of cuts and will continue to work to that end. I am also pleased this bill does not target our current federal employees, who often find themselves in the middle of political debate. Though I do not agree with every line in this legislation, I must support the overall goal of moving the ball forward while ensuring we reduce the deficit without raising taxes.”
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 would set overall discretionary spending for the remainder of fiscal year 2014. It restores some of the funding cuts from sequestration for defense, a key provision for Wittman. The sequester relief is fully offset by savings elsewhere in the budget.
"Importantly, this bill also sets a path forward to a return to regular order for passing legislation related to federal spending. I have long-advocated for Congress to do its job, rather than kicking the can down the road again and again. The American people deserve a thorough debate on these critical issues.”
This agreement will put appropriators on track to bring legislation with detailed spending plans for federal agencies to the floor by the second week of January.
Congressman Rob Wittman represents the First District of Virginia. He serves on the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Armed Services Committee where he is the Chairman of the Readiness Subcommittee.
