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Sen. Shaheen: Congress Must Pass Budget To Avoid Another Last-Minute Deal

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U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen says by getting to work now on a long-term spending plan, Congress can hopefully avoid another last-minute deal like the one reached earlier this week.

Senator Shaheen says one of the positive things to come out of the resolution to the partial government was the establishment of a committee of conference focused on crafting a federal budget.

During a stop at a business in Salem on Friday, Shaheen says that committee has already started its work.

“We need to get a long-term budget for the country in place. We need to come together, compromise. That’s what those committees of conference are usually about and work together to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

That committee, made up of Democrats and Republicans, has a Dec. 13 deadline to reconcile differences between budgets passed by the House and Senate earlier this year.

The deal reached earlier this week keeps the government open through mid-January and extends the nation’s borrowing authority through the first week of February.

Shaheen and Senator Kelly Ayotte were part of a bipartisan group of 14 Senators that helped draft the legislative framework to reopen the federal government and raise the debt ceiling. 

Shaheen says that while she’s pleased Congress was able to strike a deal, it's not the way to make decisions about spending.

“We have too many business concerned about the uncertainty, families who are unsure whether they can go out and spend money. So, we need to stop that. We need to work together, we need to get this country moving forward again.”

Michael serves as NHPR's Program Director. Michael came to NHPR in 2012, working as the station's newscast producer/reporter. In 2015, he took on the role of Morning Edition producer. Michael worked for eight years at The Telegraph of Nashua, covering education and working as the metro editor.
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