Press Release

October 16, 2013
CARDIN HAILS SENATE PASSAGE OF COMPROMISE TO REOPEN GOVERNMENT AND PUT FEDERAL WORKERS BACK ON THE JOB
"The American people expect us to govern and not lurch from crisis to crisis. We cannot keep doing this to our country. Real people are getting hurt."

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, released the following statement after the Senate voted 81-18 to approve a bipartisan deal that will reopen the federal government, provide backpay for federal workers, and allow for long-term negotiations on our federal budget.

“America is open for business once again. It took us too long to get to this point, but I am pleased that we were able to come to a bipartisan compromise to reopen the government, pay our bills and negotiate an end our long-term budget impasse. To the relief of millions of Americans, this agreement also gets our federal workers back on the job. I fought to ensure they would be made whole after this crisis concluded and I will continue to fight to keep them from being pawns in every budget battle that lies ahead.

“Shutting down the federal government and teetering on the edge of default hurt America’s economy and our reputation as the world economic leader. This cannot be repeated. The American people expect us to govern and not lurch from crisis to crisis. Our long-term negotiations must find a middle ground – we won’t get everything we want and neither will they. Working together, we should seize this opportunity to bring long-term stability and promote growth in our economy.”

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