Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after the House voted on the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The legislation now heads to the Senate for consideration.
"The budget plan that was voted on today in the House was far from perfect and I was reluctant to support it. Not only was this bill written behind closed doors, but it attempted to balance the budget on the backs of America's farmers and ranchers. I am pleased that due to pressure from me and other members of Congress, an agreement has been reached to avoid the possibly devastating cuts to crop insurance that were initially included in the bill. I strongly opposed this provision, and am pleased that House leadership will reverse this harmful policy during the appropriations process.
"In the end, passing a budget and making sure that America does not go into default was the right and responsible thing to do. Furthermore, this legislation makes sure that Social Security Disability payments will continue and drastically reduces a spike in Medicare premiums that was scheduled to go into effect. Washington must be working to boost our economy, not undermining economic growth. This bipartisan, commonsense, compromise budget plan is a good start and is needed to get past the political games."
After learning of the cap to crop insurance payments, Loebsack demanded Congressional leaders remove the provision that would devastate America's farmers and ranchers. In a letter to Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi, Loebsack called for them to reverse the damaging policy during the appropriation process.
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