On Wednesday night, the House of Representatives voted in favor of a Senate-passed package to avoid default on our national debt by lifting the debt limit until February 7, end the partial government shutdown by funding government through January 15, and enter into budget negotiations with the Senate to conclude by December 13.

Rep. Todd Young (R-IN9) voted in support of the resolution, and released the following statement:
“I voted for a plan to avoid default on our national debt, to end the partial shutdown of the federal government, to create a framework for immediately dealing with our budget challenges, and to tighten anti-fraud measures for Obamacare’s tax subsidies.

But this is only the beginning: Under this plan, government funding will again run out in just three months, and we’ll be up against our borrowing limit in a mere four months.

“We must commit ourselves to avoiding the constant cycle of brinksmanship by working across party lines to address issues like job creation, stagnant personal incomes, our unsustainable national debt, and rising healthcare costs–and we must do that as soon as the current stalemate is resolved, not when we’re facing the next deadline.

Repeal of the medical device tax, addressing the definition of full-time employment in Obamacare, overhauling our unfair tax code, and making commonsense reforms to our longstanding federal healthcare and pension programs are great places to start–and places where common ground already exists.  Our country will never move forward until our leaders in Washington resolve to work together.”–Rep. Todd Young (R-IN9)
Indiana’s 9th District includes all or parts of Brown, Clark, Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Johnson Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, Orange, Scott, and Washington Counties in south central Indiana.

Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind.) issued the following statement after voting for legislation to fund the federal government:
“I returned to public service to make the difficult choices necessary to tackle our debt and restore our country’s fiscal footing. To my great disappointment, once again Congress is kicking the can down the road and ignoring what needs to be done.

“While I deplore supporting yet another short-term Band-Aid, the only thing worse would be a continued government shutdown, the United States defaulting on its debt obligations and the elimination of the spending reductions enacted by Congress in 2011.

“I have voted for and will continue to support efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare with common-sense health care reforms. It is evident to me that the present strategy has failed to sway the president or Senate Democrats. As we’ve seen from Obamacare’s disastrous rollout, this law’s failures are more than mere glitches, and the fight to repeal it must continue.

“I am disappointed with this outcome, but my commitment to reducing our debt, growing the economy and getting Americans back to work will not waver. I will be an integral part of the ongoing effort to address our nation’s serious financial challenges.”

The legislation passed the Senate 81 to 18 and will head to the House of Representatives for immediate consideration.