Arkansas Delegation Reacts To Budget Agreement

Here’s what Arkansas’ Congressional delegation had to say about the newly minted budget deal and avoidance of a federal government shutdown.

Sen. Mark Pryor (D):
"A government shutdown would be irresponsible and inappropriate. I am pleased both sides came together to keep our government open, and I look forward to reviewing the compromise reached by the House and Senate leadership."

Sen. John Boozman (R): No statement issued yet.

First District Congressman Rick Crawford (R):
“I am proud to cast my vote to responsibly fund our government while cutting federal spending by historic amounts. Speaker Boehner stood strong and demanded the cuts that Americans want. We were elected to bring responsibility back to Washington, and this vote is another step towards fiscal sanity. Now that we have successfully funded the government, we can focus on what the last Congress neglected to do for Fiscal Year 2011: create a responsible budget.”

Second District Congressman Tim Griffin (R):
“Last year, Washington was talking about how much to spend. Now, Washington is talking about how much to cut. That cultural shift alone is a major victory. President Obama, Sen. Reid and their allies in the Senate fought us at every turn, but this deal cuts billions from what the President wanted to spend, fully funds the military through the end of the year, and averts the economic disruption, uncertainty and expense that would have resulted from a shutdown. Obviously, I wanted deeper spending cuts, but I understand that House Republicans control one-half of one-third of the federal government. As Ronald Reagan once said, ‘If I can get 70 or 80 percent of what I’m trying to get, I’ll take that and then continue to try to get the rest in the future.’ Soon, we will begin work on next year’s budget and that will give us the opportunity to make even greater, more significant reforms as we deal with trillions in spending cuts, not billions."

Third District Congressman Steve Womack (R):
“Tonight, we have reached agreement on the biggest cuts in government spending in the history of this country and I join my colleagues in congratulating Speaker Boehner for his courageous and historic effort. Not only do we cut nearly $40 billion in 2011 spending, we will get up-or-down votes in the Senate on important issues like Planned Parenthood and Obamacare — so that Americans everywhere can discern who supports these very unpopular programs.  Finally, we remove the cloud of uncertainty from the men and women of the armed forces who so unselfishly defend America.  Now we can get back to work on the bigger issues facing our nation — the 2012 budget and the national debt which is nearing its statutory limit.”

Fourth District Congressman Mike Ross (D):
“I am very pleased that both parties came to their senses and agreed to not only keep the government open, but to also reach an agreement to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year.  While we haven’t seen any details, I commend all sides for agreeing to an historic amount of $38.5 billion in spending cuts.  I remain optimistic that we will finally pass a budget that cuts deficit spending and is fair to our troops, children, working families, seniors and veterans.  I will keep working with both parties as we search for common ground and work together to get the job done for the American people once and for all.”