Congress Passes Federal Budget Deal

In a rare display of bipartisanship, Congress passed the Murray-Ryan Budget Agreement, a two-year government spending plan. After the House of Representatives passed it last week (332-94) with overwhelming bipartisan support, the Senate approved it yesterday (64-36) with nine Republicans voting in favor of the plan.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights noted that while the Murray-Ryan agreement did not eliminate the across-the-board cuts known as the “sequester,” it nevertheless was a step in the right direction, and therefore urged support for the deal, though with “reluctance.”

In a letter sent prior to the Senate’s vote, The Leadership Conference expressed concern about some of the details of the deal, most notably, the failure to include an extension of unemployment insurance, dues to expire at the end of year, as well as the fact that that the budget will demand more out-of-pocket sacrifices from federal employees, and will put new burdens on private pension programs.

President Obama is expected to sign the two-year budget plan. He has also called for an extension of unemployment benefits.