Congressman Sanford Bishop voted in favor of the House amendment to S 365, the Budget Control Act of 2011, legislation that seeks to limit federal spending through discretionary spending caps and a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution.

His office released the following statement today:

“Passage of today’s legislation will enable our country to continue to pay its bills, avoid a default crisis and maintain fundamental commitments to working American families.  Moving forward, it is essential that Congress work in a bicameral and bipartisan fashion to address our nation’s impending economic and budgetary issues.”

The legislation is structured to provide $917 billion dollars in savings over 10 years, primarily through the imposition of spending caps on discretionary spending.  It also allows for a $900 billion dollar increase in the nation’s debt ceiling.

Additionally, the measure requires the creation of a joint bipartisan committee to recommend an additional $1.5 trillion in deficit reduction.