Udall: We need to get serious and agree on a compromise for funding government

Saying that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans had come up with an acceptable plan for funding the government through the end of the year, Mark Udall Wednesday voted against proposals drawn up by leaders in both parties. He released the following statement after the vote:

'It's time for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to trade their swords for pencils and start working together on a viable plan to fund the government over the next seven months. Given our current fiscal situation, that plan needs to include reductions in spending - but not cuts that are so deep they'll kill jobs and short-change our economic recovery. The proposals presented today by both parties fail to meet that test, and that's why I opposed them both. I'll continue to work alongside senators from both parties to reach a common-sense agreement,” Udall said.

Udall is working as part of a bipartisan group of senators calling for an up-or-down vote on the president's bipartisan debt commission. He also continues to fight for other proposals to control spending, including a presidential line-item veto, pay-as-you-go spending, a ban on earmarks, and a balanced budget amendment.