U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin's statement on the bipartisan budget agreement

"The bipartisan budget agreement isn’t perfect, but it is progress that will help break this destructive pattern of drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next. If we hadn’t reached this bipartisan compromise, we would have been left with a potential shutdown in January and continued uncertainty for our economy. This agreement rolls back the arbitrary cuts of sequestration that have slowed economic growth and cost our economy jobs and also builds on the $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction done since 2011. It is important that both parties worked together to put progress ahead of politics and produce a bipartisan agreement that is grounded in compromise, not crisis. It protects investments in education, research, and innovation and is a good first step towards providing economic security for the middle class and certainty for our economy. Now that we have put in place a new path forward, it is my hope that we can continue to work across party lines to create economic growth and take a balanced approach to reducing the deficit without shortchanging our future. There is a lot more work to be done to create jobs and grow the middle class but this compromise is a strong step forward and can be the foundation for continued bipartisan work." --- U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin