Ellison Votes Against Continuing Resolution

Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison protested the sequester cuts by voting against the continuing resolution that the House passed Thursday.

The act funds the government for the next six months and keeps the government from shutting down later this month. The House passed the act on a 318-109 vote. The Senate passed it Wednesday.

Following Thursday’s passage in the House, Ellison issued the following statement:

“While I believe Congress has a basic responsibility to keep the government running, I voted against this bill to protest the deep cuts to everything from education funding to medical research known as the ‘sequester.’ The Sequester does nothing to improve the continuing jobs crisis in Minnesota and the country. Today’s legislation will cut funding for kids on Head Start, essential medical research, and repairing our roads and bridges. Under sequester, nearly 9,000 women and children in Minnesota will lose nutrition assistance, nearly 14,000 Minnesotans will lose job training, and 500 Minnesotans performing innovative health research will lose their jobs.

“It's time we eliminated the haphazard cuts in the sequester. Last month, I introduced the Balancing Act, which closes tax loopholes so that the most vulnerable do not bear the brunt of reducing the deficit. This week I introduced the Back to Work Budget to reduce the deficit by $4.4 trillion by cutting what we don’t need—like loopholes for oil companies and hedge fund managers—and investing in the things we do need.”

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