REP. MIKE THOMPSON VOTES TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT, PAY AMERICA'S BILLS
October 16, 2013
U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) today voted to reopen the government and make sure the United States pays its bills on time. The legislation, H.R. 2775, passed the House by a bipartisan vote of 285-144. 198 Democrats and 87 Republicans voted to pass the bill. The Senate passed the legislation earlier today by a bipartisan vote of 81-18. The bill now goes to the President for his signature. The legislation funds the government through January 15, 2014, extends the debt ceiling until February 7, 2014, requires income verification for recipients of subsidies under the Affordable Care Act's exchanges, and provides backpay to furloughed federal workers. The agreement also requires a bipartisan, bicameral budget conference to come up with long-term spending plans by December 13. Thompson released the following statement on the passage of the legislation.
“Today's bipartisan agreement will finally bring this reckless and unnecessary government shutdown and default crisis to an end. For two-plus weeks Tea Party radicals have kept the government closed and threatened default because they were obsessed with derailing health care reform at any cost - a fight they've lost nearly 50 times in Congress, once in a national election, and once in the Supreme Court. The negative impacts of this strategically planned crisis have been staggering. It has cost our economy $4.8 billion. It has prevented Congress from focusing on important national issues such as job creation, gun violence prevention, immigration reform, the Farm Bill, a balanced budget, economic growth and fiscal responsibility. It has eroded the faith people have in our institution of representative government, both at home and around the world. And it achieved nothing.
“I applaud the Senate for working across the aisle to reach an agreement, and I am glad that some responsible Republicans in the House joined with Democrats in voting to reopen our government and pay America's bills. We can now get back to making sure seniors can apply for Social Security, veterans can have their benefits processed, small businesses can get loans, and life-saving medical research can continue.
“While today's deal avoids the worst, it's far from the best we could have done. We cannot continue engaging in partisan brinkmanship and governing from crisis to crisis. Our nation faces serious fiscal and economic challenges and they need to be met by serious and responsible solutions. The best way to get our debt and deficit under control is through a balanced approach that cuts spending, requires everyone to pay their fair share, creates jobs, and protects the longevity of important programs like Social Security and Medicare. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we develop a balanced plan that puts our nation on a long-term, fiscally sustainable path.”
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
“Today's bipartisan agreement will finally bring this reckless and unnecessary government shutdown and default crisis to an end. For two-plus weeks Tea Party radicals have kept the government closed and threatened default because they were obsessed with derailing health care reform at any cost - a fight they've lost nearly 50 times in Congress, once in a national election, and once in the Supreme Court. The negative impacts of this strategically planned crisis have been staggering. It has cost our economy $4.8 billion. It has prevented Congress from focusing on important national issues such as job creation, gun violence prevention, immigration reform, the Farm Bill, a balanced budget, economic growth and fiscal responsibility. It has eroded the faith people have in our institution of representative government, both at home and around the world. And it achieved nothing.
“I applaud the Senate for working across the aisle to reach an agreement, and I am glad that some responsible Republicans in the House joined with Democrats in voting to reopen our government and pay America's bills. We can now get back to making sure seniors can apply for Social Security, veterans can have their benefits processed, small businesses can get loans, and life-saving medical research can continue.
“While today's deal avoids the worst, it's far from the best we could have done. We cannot continue engaging in partisan brinkmanship and governing from crisis to crisis. Our nation faces serious fiscal and economic challenges and they need to be met by serious and responsible solutions. The best way to get our debt and deficit under control is through a balanced approach that cuts spending, requires everyone to pay their fair share, creates jobs, and protects the longevity of important programs like Social Security and Medicare. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we develop a balanced plan that puts our nation on a long-term, fiscally sustainable path.”
Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California's 5th Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Rep. Thompson is also a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and chairs the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.
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