Press

In recognition of the official end of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which has prohibited gay, lesbian, and bisexual Americans from serving their country openly in the U.S. military, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz released the following statement.

Last night’s bipartisan agreement does more than avert a crisis – it guarantees that America will continue to honor its obligations to our seniors and the most vulnerable, and it lays out a path to balanced deficit reduction that will include revenue increases. So while no one got everything they wanted in this deal, this is a compromise that Democrats can support.

"I want to thank President Obama for his tireless leadership on this issue.Americans can sleep a little more soundly tonight knowing that we will not default, that we have a process in place for a balanced approach for long term deficit reduction and knowing Republicans can no longer hold hostage our economic security for their political gain."

"I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this compromise and renew their commitment to working to together in a bipartisan fashion to move our country forward."

"Just days after GOP presidential candidates shunned a national Latino audience and missed an opportunity open a dialogue with our community on solutions for fixing our broken immigration system, the head of the Republican Party unveiled the Republicans’ real plan for immigration this election cycle: ignore the Hispanic community and hide their disastrous record on immigration."

Today, House Republicans are forcing a vote on their plan that raises the debt limit, while also shredding the social fabric that supports America’s most vulnerable. It’s the Ryan Republican bill injected with so many steroids that even Major League Baseball would forbid it.

Next week on the House floor, Republicans will vote on legislation that would raise the debt ceiling with impractical and irresponsible conditions. Instead of introducing a serious approach with realistic policy goals, the GOP is turning to political grandstanding – the "plan" they've offered would undercut economic growth and hamper critical programs that benefit American families.