WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) issued the following statement today after the Senate voted to defeat HR. 1 and a Senate alternative:
"There is no disagreement -- the need to reduce the national deficit is an accepted fact. It's a matter of doing so responsibly to protect jobs and our fragile economic recovery.
"Today, the Senate rejected budget proposals from both chambers of Congress. The House-passed bill would have set in motion radical and punitive cuts, costing New Mexico over 4,000 jobs and millions for education, law enforcement and our labs. Alternatively, I voted for a Senate proposal to enact more modest cuts, but also maintain our commitment to veterans, border security and job creation. The failure of both bills signals the need for the two parties to compromise and meet somewhere in the middle.
"The consequences of delaying this process are very real. The longer Congress prolongs passing a long-term budget, the more uncertainty we create in our federally dependent entities and businesses back home. It's time to work together to compose a reasonable plan that a majority in Congress can agree on. We simply can't afford to jeopardize our economic recovery further."
