My Votes This Week

My Vote on the Fiscal 2018 Budget Resolution

This week Congress took a big vote on the budget, a proposal that I strongly disagreed with.  We need to have a more strategic approach to budgeting that protects our values and economic security. Folks in our region want better roads and schools, more middle-class jobs, a brighter future for their kids, a healthy environment, and a secure nation that looks after those who served. To do this responsibly, Congress must work in a bipartisan fashion to address sequestration and our nation’s long-term debt and deficit issues.

Unfortunately, the budget passed by both the House and Senate does not meet these goals. This budget is not a product of compromise or collaboration. It fails to invest in these priorities and leads to cuts that would hurt seniors and the disabled. Moreover, the budget does not address the spending caps or long-term debt, limiting our ability to make strategic investments and fiscal security. In fact, it makes it worse. This budget is simply not a solution to the problems that America faces. This is wrong and why I voted against the proposal.   

Other Important Votes this Week 

This week we also passed some bills with overwhelming bipartisan support that didn’t get as much media attention but are worth discussing. One of them, H.R. 1698, is related to hostile behavior from Iran. We must remain committed to the goal of keeping Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon. We also need to be vigilant against Iranian actions that encourage destabilization and hateful rhetoric in the Middle East. To that end I supported this bill to expand and strengthen sanctions targeted to prevent their government from developing ballistic missiles that could cause harm to America or our allies.

The other has to deal with a problem that hits closer to home. Wherever you live, too many folks have felt the impact of the opioid epidemic. It’s a scourge that in our region has led to overcrowded jails, overwhelmed medical professionals and emergency responders, and families who simply want to do more to help their loved ones. We need to do more to help those struggling with addiction. We also should do more to stop the supply of opioids from other countries. That’s why I voted to pass H.R. 2142 which provides additional investments at the border for more chemical screening devices so we can stop drugs like fentanyl from coming in.