08.01.13

Durbin: THUD Bill Is the Latest Casualty of the Failed GOP Budget

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke at a press conference today following a failed vote on the spending bill to fund the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development for the 2014 fiscal year. Despite being passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 22-8, the measure failed to reach the necessary 60-vote threshold by a vote of 54-43.

“Standing behind us are some men and women in the building and trades industry. What are they looking for? They want a job. They want a paycheck to take home to their families. And they want to rebuild America. That’s all they’re asking for. That’s what the American people are asking for: jobs, fair treatment for working families, and a vision to create a growing economy in this country,” Durbin said. “What you just saw on the Floor of the United States Senate was an effort by the Republicans to kill that dream. It was a job-killing strategy. It’s time for this Republican party to stop looking over its shoulder and start looking forward.”

 

The spending bill would protect Illinois priorities, promote infrastructure investment, and create jobs. More information about the legislation is available here.