NEW: Senator Whitehouse Explains Why He Voted for Fiscal Cliff Deal
Tuesday, January 01, 2013
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) released the statement below Monday regarding the deal passed by the Senate to avert the so-called fiscal cliff:
“My top priorities throughout this debate have been to protect middle-class families in Rhode Island from a tax increase, protect the programs – like Social Security and Medicare – that those families rely on, and to protect unemployment benefits for those still struggling to find jobs. The agreement announced today is not perfect, but it does meet all three of those goals while also extending important tax credits for things like wind energy development, which is why I voted for it. However, I also share the frustration of Rhode Islanders who are fed up with Congressional gridlock, and I am concerned that some Republicans are already talking about forcing more of these showdowns in the months ahead. This is no way to govern, and I sincerely hope that we will move past the dysfunction that has defined this debate and so many others in recent years.”
