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Schumer votes yes, Gillibrand no on big federal spending cut plan

Posted 8/3/11

New York's U.S. Senate delegation split on the vote this afternoon on the deal to cut government spending deeply and approve a higher debt ceiling. The deal was approved in the Senate on a vote of 74 …

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Schumer votes yes, Gillibrand no on big federal spending cut plan

Posted

New York's U.S. Senate delegation split on the vote this afternoon on the deal to cut government spending deeply and approve a higher debt ceiling.

The deal was approved in the Senate on a vote of 74 to 26.

Sen. Charles Schumer voted in favor of the compromise plan, but New York's junior U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand voted against it, joining five other Democrats in opposing it.

She said she supports big cuts in spending and has voted for them in earlier versions, but this plan, she said, is not fair or balanced. And she says she sees Washington as “broken.”

“I strongly believe America must reduce its debt and rein in federal spending,” Gillibrand said after the vote.

“Earlier this week, I supported over $2 trillion in spending cuts without additional revenues, and last December I voted to roll back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that are blowing a hole in the deficit. However, I do not believe this proposal is a fair, well thought out, or balanced deal for our fragile economy or the millions of middle class families struggling to make ends meet.”

The senator emphasized her concern about the lack of jobs now and in the future.

“The fact is, there is nothing in this deal that will address the significant jobs crisis we are facing. This deal, cut behind closed doors with zero transparency, is an unbalanced approach that cuts deeply into discretionary spending while being overwhelmingly stacked in favor of large corporations who exploit loopholes and the wealthiest among us. It is simply not in the best interests of the middle class and the larger economic recovery.”

“I have not been in Washington long, but long enough to know it is broken. As I travel across New York, the people I meet are focused entirely on jobs and economic security for their families. Congress should take this charge as its own.

“I will continue to look for bipartisan ways to reduce the debt in a responsible way and create jobs in this struggling economy.

“The truth is, today we could have gone further in reducing America’s debt with a sensible compromise that both cut discretionary spending and raised revenues. It is unfortunate Congress missed that opportunity.”