Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Votes to Avert Government Shutdown, Grow Our Economy

Press Release

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) released the statement below following her votes in favor of the Fiscal Year 2016 omnibus spending and tax extender legislative packages. The tax extender package passed with a vote of 318-109. The omnibus funding legislation passed with a vote of 316-113. Both were considered as amendments to H.R. 2029, which the Senate then took up and passed by a vote of 65-33. The President signed the legislation into law shortly afterward.

"Today, we averted a potential government shut down. I voted to keep the government open, take care of 9/11 first responders, protect our environment, and empower working families and small businesses, encouraging long-term growth across the country. The year-end omnibus spending bill and tax extender packages are far from perfect, but they represent a compromise between both parties and a strong economic package. They avoid the detrimental alternatives of either a shutdown or a continuing resolution, which would have had a devastating impact on our communities, and on our military and national security.

"There are critical investments across the state of Hawaiʻi that are funded in this bill, such as rural development projects that serve local businesses and communities, maintenance and improvements for our highways, public transportation and infrastructure, land and water conservation projects for at-risk forests on Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu, and education grants for Native Hawaiian students and families, to name just a few.

"One in eight of our keiki in Hawaiʻi live in poverty, and the permanent extension of the Earned Income and Child Care Tax Credits will help thousands of middle- and low-income local families pay their bills and put food on the table. Local businesses, students, teachers, working families, and the environment will benefit from the extension of tax credits for higher education, energy efficiency, renewable energy, research and development, and more.

"The omnibus spending bill rejected Wall Street big banks' attempts to include measures in the bill that would have loosened regulations on brokers and threatened consumer protection." Last year, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard voted against the FY 2015 omnibus bill after last minute policy riders snuck into the bill handed Wall Street a major victory on the backs of American consumers.

Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard continued, "While there are many provisions in this legislation that will have a positive impact on our community and economy, there are some that remain a concern. One that I'm particularly concerned about is a major portion of the bill that deals with cyber security. While it attempts to improve our ability to address and prevent cyberattacks, there are loopholes within the language that may allow for the government to undermine the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. These are serious issues that must be addressed in a separate standalone bill, rather than buried in more than 2,000 pages of a must-pass funding bill. Multiple high profile online hacks occurred this year, exposing vulnerabilities within current law, and proving our systems to be inadequate in protecting our national security and the personal information of millions of Americans. We need to continue to improve our ability to detect and prevent cyberattacks while balancing the constitutional right to privacy of the American people."

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