Senate Budget Committee Chair Patty Murray of Washington has released a budget proposal that provides for deficit neutral reserve funds to replace the sequester, write a new farm bill and make investments in water infrastructure. Murray did not mention farm or nutrition programs in her opening statement at a committee meeting Wednesday. Instead she emphasized that the proposal would replace sequestration with deficit reduction and include a 100-billion dollar economic recovery protection plan to put workers back on the job repairing our nation’s priority deteriorating infrastructure - among other things. The bill calls for 975-billion dollars in spending cuts over 10 years and 975-billion in increased government revenues.

While the Senate is expected to approve the budget - it is very different from the budget proposed by House Budget Chair Paul Ryan - making it unlikely Congress will pass a joint budget resolution. Murray expressed hope that the House and Senate could work together toward the responsible and bipartisan budget deal the American people expect and deserve.