Progress Illinois

While we were concerned earlier in the day that Rep. Debbie Halvorson might oppose President Obama's budget proposal because of a provision scaling back exorbitant farm subsidies, the House vote just took place and the Southland Democrat supported it.  Democratic Rep. Bill Foster, on the other hand, was one of 20 House Democrats to vote against the bill.  We'll pass along his rationale shortly.

Every Republican member of the House voted against the bill.

UPDATE: Below is Foster's explanation of his vote:

“I commend President Obama and his administration for presenting a budget that identifies key priorities, begins to deal with medical costs, provides needed increases in veterans’ benefits and honestly accounts for the real cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

My main concern is that this bill must not only start reducing the deficit, but must lay the path towards paying down the debt.  This requires our government to make hard choices – the same choices our constituents are making each and every day.

Everyone recognizes the necessity of doing something immediately to restart our economy, and also the danger of increasing the debt passed down to our children.  That is why, earlier in the year, I voted to fund the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act because we needed to get our economy moving again.  Many of my constituents have already felt the positive impact of that legislation, from tax cuts to investments made in science and education.  Now, we need to balance that spending with tough economic measures.  The key difference here is that I tend to weigh the dangers of long-term debt more heavily than others.”

No mention of what specific "path towards paying down the deficit" he supports.