Washington, DC – Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet released the following statement after his vote to avoid a first-ever default on the nation’s financial obligations:
“Why Washington took so long to resolve a crisis that was entirely of its own making is puzzling to me and to the people of Colorado. No mayor in Colorado would be willing to risk the credit rating of his or her municipality to make an ideological point, and Washington shouldn’t be any different.
“The agreement reached today isn’t perfect; this is not a bill that I or any one Coloradan would have written. But it was a necessary step to avoid a self-inflicted default that would crater our economy, hurt working families and blow an even bigger hole in our deficit. And while I wish it would have gone further, this bill makes a significant down payment on deficit reduction and creates a bipartisan path forward to get our fiscal house in order.
“Coloradans have told me they want a comprehensive deficit reduction plan that materially addresses the problem, ensures we’re all in it together and is bipartisan. It’s my hope that the newly-minted Joint Committee can build on the work done by the Gang of Six to create a plan that meets this three-part test and gives our economy the certainty it needs.