WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed, a member of the Appropriations Committee, today issued the following statement on the release of the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 budget request:

“This budget is a mixed bag.  It includes some smart pro-jobs, infrastructure, and education investments, like the $1 billion initiative to create new manufacturing and innovation centers.  Jobs remain my focus and I’d like to see one of these hubs anchored in Rhode Island.  But it falls short on other specific priorities, like LIHEAP and weatherization.  And I remain adamantly opposed to cutting Social Security and using accounting changes to reduce future cost-of-living increases as a means to reduce the deficit. 

“The President’s budget is just one part of the process and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make smart public investments to improve our economy now, and in the future.  We need a responsible and balanced approach to the economy to keep the promises we’ve made to our seniors, families, and veterans.”