Rep. Richmond Issues Statement on House Passage of Bipartisan Budget Act

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 -- Rep. Cedric L. Richmond, D-Louisiana, issued the following statement after voting against the Bipartisan Budget Act (H.R. 1892):

"We have been told by our military leaders and those who run critical domestic programs that stopgap, short-term continuing resolutions are harmful. This funding bill puts us on solid footing and makes good investments in health programs, families, communities, and national security.

"Additionally, the bill includes provisions that will avoid multi-year delays to important coastal restoration projects in Louisiana and provide forgiveness for loans taken out by Xavier, Dillard, and SUNO after Hurricane Katrina, which I have been fighting to solve for years.

"Unfortunately, an important group was left out of this deal--thousands in Louisiana who are still trying to piece their lives together after historic flooding. In the end, I could not in good conscience turn my back on them. A number of important, bipartisan FEMA reforms that had already passed the House were left out, including important improvements to the arbitration process, and increased mitigation and resiliency efforts. Most importantly, this bill disregarded a bill addressing the duplication of benefits issue that is crippling recovery for so many in Louisiana. Instead of the real solution that Representative Graves and I had worked out which passed the House with bipartisan support, this bill had a hollow shell that leaves the issue unresolved and fails all those who are being unfairly kept from getting the disaster assistance they deserve.

"Finally, this bill fails to resolve a problem that was created by President Trump and threatens the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to this country through no fault of their own. DREAMers deserve a legislative solution that gives them security and clarity. We owe it to them and the communities across Louisiana to which they contribute."