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Ryan Votes Against Funding; Johnson, Kelly Vote Yes
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan blasted the continuing resolution approved Wednesday by the U.S. House of Representatives to continue funding of the federal government though September. The resolution keeps in place cuts forced on domestic programs by the sequester while softening the blow for military and veterans affairs programs.
The House voted 267-151 Wednesday to approve the Republican-led resolution, which now moves onto the U.S. Senate for consideration. The resolution continues funding for the government past March 27, when the current funding authorization expires.
U.S. Reps. Bill Johnson, R-6 Ohio, and Mike Kelly, R-3 Pa., were among the 214 Republicans and 53 Democrats who voted in favor of the resolution.
Ryan, D-13 Ohio, joined 136 of his House Democratic colleagues and 14 Republicans to vote against the legislation, which his office said keep in place “detrimental cuts” that will impact programs that protect public health and safety, promote and develop the workforce and educate Americans.
“We had a chance today to overturn the sequester, adequately fund our government and bring some stability to our economy,” Ryan said in a prepared statement. “We had a chance today to make sure that the research and development projects vital to our nation’s defense go forward, and make sure that all students in Head Start can continue to be educated. We had a chance today to ensure proper cancer screenings will continue -- and that the Affordable Health Care Act can be properly implemented. What my Republican friends chose to do is to continue to govern by manufactured crisis, continue the harmful sequester and continue to govern irresponsibly. There is a better way forward.”
The continuing resolution approved Wednesday keeps "President Obama's sequester in place," but takes important steps to protect our national defense and our veterans," Johnson said in a statement released early this afternoon.
"There were better alternatives to cutting spending than the president's sequester. That's why I supported two House-passed bills last year that would have replaced his sequester with more responsible spending cuts," Johnson continued. "Unfortunately, neither the president nor the Senate would consider the legislation. I am hopeful that, for the first time in four years, the Senate will join the House in passing a budget that will balance, that will stop the continuing Band-Aid approach to managing our nation's finances, and that will more responsibly address Washington's out-of-control spending problem.”
As of this posting, a prepared statement had not been not released by Kelly.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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