Liberals Unite As Bernie Sanders Supports Obama Budget Deal

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 01:48 pm

The budget agreement that is a big win for President Obama and congressional Democrats got a thumbs up for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) who has announced that he will be voting for the deal.

In a statement, Sanders said:

This is not the budget I would have written. It doesn’t ask the most profitable corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share in taxes and it increases Pentagon spending too much. But I will support it because it’s much better than across-the-board budget cuts, increased premiums for Medicare, cuts to Social Security and the constant threat we won’t pay our bills.

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In my view, a two-year deal gives us time to focus on providing an emergency cost of living adjustment for senior citizens, raising the minimum wage, ensuring equal pay for women, expanding Social Security, making college tuition-free, reforming our criminal justice system, bringing millions of new Americans out of the shadows and addressing the growing threat of climate change.

Sanders was correct. Without having to lunge from crisis to crisis, the focus can return to the issues. This budget deal is not perfect, but the Bernie seal of approval means that it does not hurt veterans or those who rely on Medicare and Social Security. Sen. Sanders is a staunch defender of programs for vets, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. If he says the deal does no harm, that should be good enough for liberals.

Bernie Sanders gets it. The whole point of the budget deal is to break the cycle of crisis governing. Republican congressional leadership, congressional Democrats, and the White House all agree that tea party style crisis governing is bad for the country.

Sen. Sanders supports the deal, which is strong signal that the powerful liberal caucus in the Senate is going to make sure that this agreement hits President Obama’s desk for his signature.

The era of crisis governing may finally come to an end.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association