Democrats scored a big victory on Monday as lawmakers reached a two-year bipartisan budget deal that avoids Donald Trump’s dangerous proposed cuts and raises the debt ceiling.
According to the LA Times, “White House officials and congressional leaders have reached a deal to lift the nation’s debt limit and boost federal spending by about $320 billion over limits set in a 2011 budget law.”
In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Today, a bipartisan agreement has been reached that will enhance our national security and invest in middle class priorities that advance the health, financial security and well-being of the American people.”
More from the statement:
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Importantly, Democrats have achieved an agreement that permanently ends the threat of the sequester. We are pleased that the Administration has finally agreed to join Democrats in ending these devastating cuts, which have threatened our investments to keep America Number One in the global economy and to ensure our national security. With this agreement, we strive to avoid another government shutdown, which is so harmful to meeting the needs of the American people and honoring the work of our public employees.Â
Democrats are also pleased to have secured robust funding for critical domestic priorities in this agreement. Democrats have always insisted on parity in increases between defense and non-defense, and we are pleased that our increase in non-defense budget authority exceeds the defense number by $10 billion over the next two years. It also means Democrats secured an increase of more than $100 billion in funding for domestic priorities since President Trump took office.
Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth, also celebrated the deal on Twitter, saying the agreement “rejects the Trump Budget’s devastating cuts, makes strong investments in our country, & provides certainty for our communities and our economy.”
Chairman @RepJohnYarmuth on the bipartisan budget caps deal: This agreement rejects the #TrumpBudget’s devastating cuts, makes strong investments in our country, & provides certainty for our communities and our economy. #RaiseTheCaps pic.twitter.com/v7gXxl1kqb
— House Budget Committee (@HouseBudgetDems) July 22, 2019
Trump didn’t get the devastating cuts he wanted
Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump ran to Twitter on Monday to praise the bipartisan deal – a deal he likely had nothing to do with.
I am pleased to announce that a deal has been struck with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy – on a two-year Budget and Debt Ceiling, with no poison pills….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2019
….This was a real compromise in order to give another big victory to our Great Military and Vets!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 22, 2019
But as I wrote earlier this year, Trump’s preferred budget contained nearly $2 trillion in devastating cuts, and Democrats appear to have averted that disaster through this agreement.
While Donald Trump promised to inflict pain on the American people through devastating budget cuts, Democrats have scored over $100 billion in spending increases for important domestic programs since this president took office in 2017.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
