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Pelosi Floor Remarks in Support of the Bipartisan Budget Agreement

October 29, 2015

Contact: Drew Hammill/Evangeline George, 202-226-7616

Washington D.C. – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the House floor today in support of the Bipartisan Budget Agreement. Below are the Leader's remarks:

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his kind words and return the compliment to him. To the staff of the Budget Committee, the staffs of the other Committees of Jurisdiction on both sides of the aisle who enabled this important agreement to come forward – thank you very much, Mr. Van Hollen.

"Madam Leader, today we're proud to come to the Floor with legislation that moves America forward, affirming the full faith and credit of the United States of America, as our Constitution says should never be in doubt, and passing a budget agreement that creates jobs, protects seniors, invests in our future. Today, we cast our votes for a bipartisan budget package representing significant progress for hard-working American families. Throughout the budget process, I'm proud that Democrats have been united by our values and our determination to win progress for those hard-working American families. We showed we had the votes and the resolve to sustain the President's vetoes of funding bills that did not meet the needs of the American people. Working with our Republican colleagues on a compromise enabled us at long last, to bring to the Floor a bill, a bill with which we have broken the sequester stranglehold on our national defense and our investment in good-paying jobs and the future of America.

"In this agreement before the House, we achieve equal funding. We honor the principle of parity between defense and domestic priorities. We achieve equal funding increases for defense and domestic initiatives amounting to $112 billion over the next two years. We prevent a 20 percent cut in disability benefits for millions of people in 2016 and extend the solvency of the Social Security Disability Insurance Program. We prevent a drastic increase in Medicare Part B Premiums and deductibles for millions of seniors next year. We affirm the full faith and credit of the United States and that that full faith and credit is non-negotiable and unbreakable with a clean debt limit suspension. We push through the gridlock to provide more economic certainty and, according to the Council of Economic Advisors, create an additional 340,000 jobs in 2016 alone.

"Budget and senior groups are lining up – and the groups for Americans with disabilities – are lining up in support of this agreement. As AARP wrote to Congressional leaders – I'm sure you saw this, Mr. Rogers, and thank you for your courageous support of our legislation, our great Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. AARP wrote, ‘AARP strongly supports the bipartisan agreement you reached to avert deep reductions in Social Security disability insurance benefits in 2016 and to address the imminent spike in Medicare Part B Premiums, which many older Americans would otherwise experience. Your efforts to reach across the aisle and together find sensible solutions to significant problems are appreciated and commended.' Together, working together, Democrats and Republicans, we have found a way forward for the American people.

"I thank the Republican Leadership for their partnership in reaching this agreement. Again, I thank the staffs of the Committees of Jurisdiction: the Budget committee, the Ways and Means Committee, the Appropriations Committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee and others. I commend our colleagues for speaking out on this important agreement.

"Let us pass this agreement. Let's vote yes today, together. Let us pass this agreement, move swiftly to keep government open and make progress for the American people. I urge a ‘yes' vote and I hope it is a big, strong one. With that, I yield back the balance of my time."

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