WASHINGTON, Dec. 18, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Following the U.S. Senate's passage of the bipartisan budget earlier today, National League of Cities (NLC) President Chris Coleman, mayor, Saint Paul, Minn. and NLC's Vice President Ralph Becker, mayor, Salt Lake City, Utah, released the following statements:
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"We applaud the U.S. Senate for joining the House in passing a bipartisan budget agreement that demonstrates that we can overcome the chronic dysfunction in Washington and move beyond the repeated and unnecessary fiscal crises we've seen over the past year. With President Obama's signature, Congress can finally stop the pointless fiscal fighting and focus on passing sound policies that support cities and their residents," said NLC President Chris Coleman, mayor, Saint Paul, Minn.
"We hope Congress will continue in a bipartisan spirit and work together to solve some of the nation's toughest challenges. That includes promoting economic growth and prosperity by creating an equal playing field so that Main Street retailers can remain competitive with online retailers. It means fixing the nation's broken immigration system so that communities across American can thrive. Congress must also protect the municipal bonds cities rely on to finance infrastructure projects, create jobs and keep taxes lower," added Mayor Coleman.
NLC's Second Vice President Ralph Becker, mayor, Salt Lake City, Utah, said, "As we look towards 2014, I urge Congress to recognize that cities are at the center of the innovation and economic growth across the country. Cities are where the action is. We are providing solutions to the critical imperatives facing our country and strive to create diverse and strong communities. We need a partner in Washington that understands that cities are the future of America."
The National League of Cities (NLC) is dedicated to helping city leaders build better communities. NLC is a resource and advocate for 19,000 cities, towns and villages, representing more than 218 million Americans.
SOURCE National League of Cities
