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http://http//katv.com/news/local/lawmakers-react-to-passage-of-bipartisan-budget-act

by Katie Clement, AP

Little Rock (KATV/AP) — 

After a brief government shutdown, the Bipartisan Budget Act was passed by the House early Friday morning and signed by President Donald Trump.

The House voted 240-186 to approve the bill just before dawn Eastern time, hours after the Senate had approved the measure on a 71-28 vote.

The Bipartisan Budget Act will adjust the spending limits for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, including a significant increase for defense.

In addition to adjusting the spending, the new budget also includes funding for the government through March 23, 2018, allowing for consideration of regular spending bills in the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

Rep. Steve Womack released this statement on the passing of the budget.

The passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act acknowledges that the current budget and appropriations process is not working. And so I’m encouraged this agreement initiates real talks that could reform the process and make it work better. In the days ahead, it is crucial that lawmakers continue to find agreement and always fulfill our duties and obligations to the American people.

Congressman French Hill also issued the following statement after voting for the Bipartisan Act.

I supported this measure because I’m strongly committed to keeping our government open and funding our common defense in order to ensure that our men and women in uniform have the resources and tools they need to protect our homeland and carry out their missions abroad. After years of severe cuts to our military, we are properly funding our defense by giving our troops their first pay raise in eight years and providing them with weapon upgrades, enhanced missile defense systems, and better training and supplies.

However, our budget process is broken. We need to end the cycle of running our nation on short-term spending bills. I believe that extending our debt limit without any substantial reforms will only provide greater uncertainty in our financial markets, and, in turn, negatively affect Arkansan and American families. I commend bipartisan leadership for their efforts to reform the appropriations process, but this is not sufficient in and of itself. Which is why I requested that the House hold a vote on a balanced budget amendment in order to compel the government to better prioritize the spending of hard-earned tax dollars, and I’ve gotten a pledge from House Leadership that we will vote on a balanced budget amendment before the next spending deadline. I’m also calling on our President to propose mandatory reforms to put us on a sustainable pathway to fiscal stability and ensure that future generations are not shouldered with insurmountable debt.

We’ve been successful in delivering comprehensive tax reform to families, so it’s time to apply that same level of dedication to getting our nation’s checkbook under control. Our children and their children’s children deserve to have the opportunity to live out their dreams and hope in a better future - and that starts with getting our fiscal house in order.

Senator Tom Cotton made this statement on the passage of the budget.

This budget agreement will give our military a desperately needed spending increase as well as the certainty it needs to plan ahead for the coming years. But the very fact that we need to pass this agreement four months into the fourth year demonstrates the folly of keeping the Budget Control Act on the books. It hasn’t controlled spending, and the defense-spending caps are far too low to meet our defense needs, so it’s long past time that we repeal that law before we face this situation again next fall.

Senator John Boozman released this comment after the signing.

Year after year, Congress struggles to reach a consensus on how to fund our national priorities. As each side digs in further, that commitment to come together becomes harder to find. This agreement is a breakthrough in that regard.

This bill ensures, that for two years, our military will no longer be hindered by sequestration. It allows us to uphold our promise to the men and women who served our nation in uniform, fight the opioid epidemic that is devastating our communities and begin to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure.

In addition, the bill includes disaster relief for the states and territories hit hard by last year’s hurricanes, a long-term reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), greater stability for community health centers and a one-year extension of recently expired tax provisions. The agriculture provisions will provide a workable safety net for cotton producers in Arkansas and throughout the Cotton Belt.

Getting an agreement on all these big-ticket items takes considerable effort. It is my hope that by removing these obstacles, we can return to regular order, where we are no longer governing by crisis and funding decisions are made in a timely and responsible manner with proper congressional oversight.