Washington (December 21, 2017) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement after voting against the year-end government spending package.

“Instead of devoting their energy to providing certainty for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, protecting our DREAMers, and ensuring that we have funding to address the opioid crisis and for our invaluable community health centers, Republicans jammed through a holiday tax package for their donors and the top one percent,” said Senator Markey. “Republicans care more about corporate welfare than children’s health care. They’ve also added a provision to this continuing resolution that would extend controversial authorities in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, but should make much needed reforms to address serious concerns about the extent to which the government conducts surveillance over its own citizens. This year-end spending package is disgraceful, and is entirely insufficient to address the worries of millions of American families hoping for security and dignity this holiday season. In the new year, I pledge to fight for full funding and long-term stability for children’s health insurance and community health centers, without raiding funds of other valuable health program, and to ensure that we give full protection to the young people who’ve known no other home than the United States. We simply cannot wait to do the right thing.”

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