Congressman Roger Williams’ statement on the House’s Continuing Resolution vote
Today, U.S. Congressman Roger Williams released the following statement after voting in favor of the H.R. 933, the continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through the remainder of FY2013. The House passed H.R. 933.
“Today’s vote is a step in the right direction towards reigning in Washington’s spending,” said Williams. “Americans know that you can’t spend more money than you have coming in, and it’s high time Congress passes a funding bill with no new spending, like this CR does. Though we haven’t won the war on spending, this is a victory that puts us one step closer to a balanced budget while still providing essential government services and supporting our troops and veterans.”
Williams held a press conference last Friday, March 1st, at Fort Hood to address the effects of President Obama’s sequester on the military. Williams said he supports letting the Department of Defense (DoD) operate under a budget, rather than a CR to give them the flexibility to absorb the cuts. H.R. 933 includes full-year Defense and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bills, which passed the House last year on a broad bipartisan basis and have been negotiated with the Senate. These bills provide necessary funding flexibility for the DoD and VA to absorb the sequester spending cuts.
“The President’s sequester placed rigid requirements on the Department of Defense, putting our nation at risk. This CR provides the DoD and the Department of Veterans Affairs with the flexibility to meet all fiscal requirements and determine how best to absorb the sequester cuts and ensure that our troops – both past and present – have the necessary resources,” said Williams.
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