Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) issued the following statement after the United States Senate passed the bipartisan budget agreement by a vote of 67-28. The budget agreement funds vital domestic programs that keep Nevadans healthy, provides increased funding for national defense and raises the federal debt ceiling so the full-faith and credit of the United States is protected.
“I voted in favor of today’s bipartisan budget agreement because the fiscal brinksmanship in Washington must end. While I have concerns over the continued growth of the federal deficit because of this President’s tax giveaway to the rich and corporations, this bipartisan agreement also has a lot of good news for Nevadans. Under this bill, we’ve done away with the dangerous, arbitrary cuts to vital programs and boosted support to domestic initiatives over the next two-years by $56.5 billion. We’ve protected Nevadans from irresponsible and arbitrary cuts to programs that support vulnerable seniors and kids, initiatives like Head Start, Meals on Wheels, the Indian Health Service and crucial medical research at the National Institutes of Health. This bipartisan agreement also provides $46.5 billion to vital defense department programs that keep our country safe and that serve as the lifeblood to our military installations in the Silver State. As we continue through the budget process in Congress, Nevadans should know one thing: I’ll do all I can to be vigilant to protect critical programs from budget cuts and fight for every last dollar for our state that strengthens programs that provide dignity to every Nevadan.”