Rep. Diane Black speaks at a meeting of the bi-partisan budget committee, made up of 29 House and Senate members. Image: Rep. Diane Black/Instagram
Tennessee Congressman Diane Black is urging her colleagues to support a two-year budget plan. The Republican from Gallatin served on the bi-partisan committee, which came up with the deal.
When the committee was first announced in October, Black seemed skeptical it would ever reach an agreement. Wednesday, she acknowledged the two co-chairs, Republican Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington, did most of the work. Still, she says she’s satisfied with the final product.
“We stayed with our principles, there are conservative principles in there. There are no new taxes, there’s deficit reduction, mandatory deficit reduction.”
Black says she’s disappointed in conservative groups who announced their opposition, just hours after the budget deal was unveiled. The agreement increases a fee on airline tickets, which some conservatives are calling a tax hike.
“I think they want to see everything happen now, but we’re going to have to win some elections before we can get everything we want.”
4th District Congressman Scott DesJarlais sounded almost conciliatory when talking about the proposal. Though he wouldn’t reveal how he’ll vote, he says the budget agreement is the best that can be hoped for in a divided Congress.
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