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Congressman Paul Tonko released the following statement after voting in favor of H.J. Res 59, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which eases the burden of sequestration and helps to make future government shutdowns less likely. The measure passed the House of Representatives tonight by a bipartisan vote of 332-94.

“What the House passed today was by no means a perfect plan, but it is a step in the right direction toward reversing reckless sequestration-driven cuts and crafting a responsible budget that cuts where we can and invests where we must. We must now seize this opportunity to stop lurching from one fiscal crisis to another and provide certainty to small businesses, middle-class families, and countless other Americans that expect politicians in Washington to do their job.

“Sequestration has already taken its toll on communities across the nation through mindless cuts to critical programs that boost education, spur job growth, and lend a helping hand to our most vulnerable friends and neighbors. While this agreement eases roughly half of its impact in 2014, we must continue to fight toward fully replacing sequestration with a plan that grows our economy and makes targeted cuts that responsibly reduce our deficit.

“There are parts of this legislation that I fully support. In addition to reducing sequestration’s burden, it also cuts the maximum amount of tax dollars we give to executives of federal contracting companies. While it does not reduce the cap to the amount I have fought for, it does begin to rein in runaway payments to corporate contractors.  

“To be sure, there are pressing concerns this budget framework fails to address, like extending unemployment insurance to more than 127,000 New Yorkers on December 28^th and an additional 133,000 by July of 2014. House leadership must recognize the cruelty of cutting a vital lifeline to those families and individuals who continue their struggle to find work in this economy. Renewing these benefits to 1.3 million Americans remains as one of my top priorities, and it is unconscionable that Congress is leaving town with this unfinished work.

“It is my hope that, in the new year, House leadership will cast aside the politics and 11^th hour brinksmanship that have dominated this chamber for the last three years. We have a very long to-do list, and it is time that we get to work and do the job the American people have sent us to Washington to do.”

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