Tennessee Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander on Wednesday voted in favor of the continuing resolution (CR), which provides funding for the federal government through September 30, 2013.
Senator Corker said, “Many times in Washington something that is called a spending cut isn’t actually a cut; it just means spending is growing more slowly than it did the year before. This continuing resolution is significant because it contains real cuts. Total discretionary spending for this fiscal year will actually be lower than last fiscal year – and in Washington, that’s a good first step.
"That said, running the United States government on a series of short-term spending bills isn’t the way we should be doing business. I hope we will get back to regular order, setting priorities and making tough decisions that will make our economy and country stronger now and in the future by enacting structural changes to reform the biggest drivers of our debt—Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security."
Senator Alexander said, “I voted for this legislation because it reduces spending in 36 percent of the budget to 2008 spending levels,” Alexander said. “It’s an improvement over the House bill because it includes five appropriations bills, which provide important flexibility for dealing with the across the board cuts required by sequestration – including in the Defense Department. The challenge now is the out-of-control, automatic spending increases in mandatory entitlements, which are growing at two to three times the rate of inflation and threaten Medicare and other programs that seniors depend upon.”
The bill originated in the House of Representatives, was amended Wednesday by the Senate, and must be voted on by the House again. The Senate version provides additional oversight of and flexibility to more departments than the original House bill.