(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), the second-ranking Democratic member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement after she helped to pass the 2010 Budget Resolution in the U.S. Senate. The Budget Resolution passed the Senate by a vote of 55-43. It will now go to a Conference Committee where differences between the House-passed Budget will be resolved. The Budget Resolution establishes spending levels and guidelines in Congress.
“After eight years of shortsighted budgets and misplaced priorities, today we passed a budget that finally invests in our needs and charts a new course for America. A budget is a statement of priorities, and ours are very clear. We put the middle class first and we get our country back on track by investing in our future.
“We do this by making overdue investments in energy, education and health reform that are absolutely necessary to ensuring a stronger economy in the years to come. This budget also addresses priorities critical to Washington state including increased funding for Hanford cleanup, veterans, and help to expand markets for our state’s farmers.
“We have inherited great challenges and we face many new ones. But we have also seen over the last eight years the price paid when we fail to invest in our nation and ignore problems on the horizon. That is why we have passed a budget that meets our challenges head on.
“Every day, families across Washington state are waking up to rising health care costs, pink slips, crumbling infrastructure and bills and mortgages that they can’t afford. They understand the need for bold action to turn our nation around.
“We’ve tried it the other way. It’s time to invest in America again. It’s time to give the middle class a break. It’s time for honesty. And it’s time to make bold decisions. This budget – while not perfect – invests in our future and begins to get us back on track. “
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