Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee took to the floor of the Senate Thursday to voice his opposition to the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. The act ultimately passed the Senate by a vote of 64 to 35, with David Vitter of Louisiana not voting.
Lee had harsh words for the legislation, which would raise the debt limit while finalizing the push for a two-year budget. He criticized the tight negotiations that went into creating the bill as going against GOP principles.
“Negotiating legislation behind closed doors and then rushing it through to final passage violates our party’s core principles. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 is a case in point,” Lee said. “This bill would suspend the debt limit for 17 months and increase government spending beyond its already unsustainable levels. And it would do so while failing to make reforms that would put us on a path toward fiscal sustainability.”
President Barack Obama stated Friday morning that he would approve the legislation. Lee went on to say that proposed budget fails to make needed reforms to Social Security and disability programs.
“We should be the party that looks out for the most vulnerable among us. But we won’t be so long as we lack the courage to enact the structural reforms that our retirement and disability insurance programs need to survive for generations to come,” he said. “It’s going to take hard work; a fair, open, and inclusive legislative process, and all the policy innovation we can muster.”
President Obama has until Nov. 3 to sign the bill into law.
