WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement in response to a short-term funding agreement reached by Senate negotiators that will keep the government open until January 15, 2014 and raise the debt ceiling until February 7, 2014. Harkin chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
“This agreement is welcome relief for Iowans and all Americans who cannot afford to bear the brunt of another economic crisis manufactured by an extreme faction in Congress. That is what the past two weeks and the last several months have been about: holding middle class families and our economy hostage to demands to defund or repeal the Affordable Care Act. As a country, it is time to move beyond that debate and refocus our attention on policies that will grow the economy and create jobs.
“Throughout this most recent economic crisis, Senate Democrats have insisted on reopening the government and paying our bills first, followed by discussions on our nation’s budget and economic future. The American public wants and deserves that action. I welcome the chance to engage in these conversations in the coming months to help reach a balanced solution to our nation’s long-term fiscal challenges.”
