SHAHEEN STATEMENT ON BIPARTISAN COMPROMISE TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT, PREVENT DEFAULT

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) released the following statement on the Senate’s bipartisan plan to reopen the federal government and pay the country’s bills:

“I’m glad that we have found common ground on a bipartisan plan to reopen the government and make sure our country pays its bills.  But make no mistake about it – small businesses, jobs and our economy have suffered greatly as a result of a crisis that was manufactured by a small number of individuals over the past two-and-a-half weeks.  No one wins when we put jobs and the economy at risk in an attempt to score political points. Americans are rightfully frustrated by Washington’s dysfunction and chaos and I am too.  

“Throughout this crisis, it became clear that the majority of Congress wanted to find a bipartisan way to move our country forward. Today we accomplished that goal for the short-term and now we need a long-term plan to address our debt and deficits which will help avoid future manufactured crises that hurt jobs, the economy and our middle-class.”  

Shaheen has been part of a bipartisan effort to end the obstructionism that has paralyzed Congress and has repeatedly urged for bipartisan cooperation to reopen the government.  Shaheen was part of a bipartisan coalition of 14 senators that has been credited with moving a plan forward to reopen the government and pay the nation’s bills. Elements of the group’s work contributed to the Senate’s that would fund the government until January 15, prevent the country from defaulting on its debt start a process for putting in place a longer term budget.

Shaheen has also advocated for Congress to reform its broken budget process and convert it to a two-year biennial budget cycle. She introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) to convert the annual spending process to a two-year budget cycle, which received broad bipartisan support as an amendment to the Senate budget resolution passed in March.