{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-opposes-increasing-defense-spending-at-the-expense-of-other-pressing-domestic-priorities", "Reed Opposes Increasing Defense Spending at the Expense of Other Pressing Domestic Priorities", "2017-12-12", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "RI", "Jack Reed", "R000122", "www.reed.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12/12/2017\u00a0\u2014\u00a0WASHINGTON, DC \u2013\u00a0U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today joined\u00a0U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY)\u00a0and 42 of their fellow Senate Democrats in sending a letter to\u00a0House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI)\u00a0and\u00a0Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)\u00a0urging them to continue bipartisan budget negotiations and forgo a proposed partisan funding bill that would underfund education, clean air and water, health care, infrastructure, veterans, and other vital domestic priorities.\r\n\u201cCongress needs a balanced, responsible way to fix the sequester so our defense and domestic needs are met.\u00a0 Achieving that goal is essential to the security and financial well-being of all Americans.\u00a0 The Pentagon is critical to national security, but so is the FBI, Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and many other federal agencies that help keep Americans safe,\u201d\u00a0stated Reed.\u00a0 \u201cSome on the far right have proposed a lopsided approach that would damage our economy, hurt working families, and leave our country less safe.\u00a0 That would be a disaster and it is a non-starter.\u00a0 For too long, Republican leaders put off tough budget decisions while pursuing Trumpcare and corporate tax cuts.\u00a0 It is time to get serious about reaching a principled compromise to strengthen our military and help grow the economy so that all Americans have a fair shot to build a better life.\u201d\r\nThe letter, which was signed by 44 Senate Democrats, outlines Democratic opposition to a so-called \u201cCRomnibus,\u201d which means a funding bill that provides full-year sequestration relief for military programs but not for other important key domestic programs, resulting in devastating cuts to homeland security agencies like the FBI, as well as education, cancer research programs at the NIH, opioid treatment funding at HHS, and a host of other key programs.\u00a0\r\n\u201cWe urge you to keep your commitment to the bipartisan budget negotiations and forego any plans to consider partisan legislation,\u201d\u00a0the 44 Democratic senators wrote.\r\nThe full text of the letter from Senate Democrats follows:\r\nDecember 12, 2017\r\nDear Speaker Ryan and Leader McConnell:\r\nWe write to express our concern with reports that the House Republican leadership is considering sending partisan legislation to the Senate that would result in funding cuts to important homeland security, veterans, agriculture and health care programs.\u00a0 As you know, Democrats and Republicans are engaged in bipartisan negotiations to craft a budget agreement for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 that would avoid devastating sequestration cuts to defense and domestic programs.\u00a0 We urge you to keep your commitment to the bipartisan budget negotiations and forego any plans to consider partisan legislation known as a \u201cCRomnibus.\u201d\r\nAccording to estimates, domestic programs will see at least $12 billion in cuts in FY2018 due to sequestration and other spending obligations.\u00a0 Therefore, a \u201cCRomnibus,\u201d which means a funding bill that provides full-year sequestration relief for military programs but not for other important domestic programs, would result in devastating cuts to homeland security agencies like the FBI, cancer research programs at the NIH, and opioid treatment funding at HHS.\u00a0\r\nThere is a better path \u2013 let the bipartisan negotiation continue in good faith so that Democrats and Republicans can produce a budget agreement that fully funds our homeland security, health care, and Veterans\u2019 needs.\u00a0 If presented with partisan legislation that leaves these key priorities behind, we will oppose it.\r\nSincerely,\r\nSenator Charles E. Schumer  Senator Patrick J. Leahy  Senator Dianne Feinstein  Senator Patty Murray  Senator Ron Wyden  Senator Richard J. Durbin  Senator Jack Reed  Senator Bill Nelson  Senator Thomas R. Carper  Senator Debbie Stabenow  Senator Maria Cantwell  Senator Robert Menendez  Senator Ben Cardin  Senator Bernard Sanders  Senator Sherrod Brown  Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.  Senator Amy Klobuchar  Senator Sheldon Whitehouse  Senator Jon Tester  Senator Tom Udall  Senator Jeanne Shaheen  Senator Mark R. Warner  Senator Jeff Merkley  Senator Michael F. Bennet  Senator Kirsten Gillibrand  Senator Al Franken  Senator Christopher A. Coons  Senator Richard Blumenthal  Senator Brian Schatz  Senator Tammy Baldwin  Senator Christopher Murphy  Senator Mazie K. Hirono  Senator Martin Heinrich  Senator Angus S. King, Jr.  Senator Tim Kaine  Senator Elizabeth Warren  Senator Edward J. Markey  Senator Cory A. Booker  Senator Gary C. Peters  Senator Chris Van Hollen  Senator Tammy Duckworth  Senator Maggie Hassan  Senator Kamala D. Harris  Senator Catherine Cortez Masto\r\n\u00a0\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-opposes-increasing-defense-spending-at-the-expense-of-other-pressing-domestic-priorities"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5622181817889214, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}