“We welcome the President’s stern warning to all parties to stop all the politicking as it could jeopardize the welfare of our fellow citizens at this critical time. In this, we are not evading any responsibility for our own actions, and would in fact like to sincerely apologize again to the President and the whole nation for adding anxiety to an already uncertain situation.
As a matter of detail, we will submit the printed budget to the Senate on November 5, allowing them to proceed with their hearings, and preparing the way for the formal transmittal on November 16, immediately after Congress votes and approves on third reading the 2021 General Appropriations Bill.
We likewise assure the President that all the actions that we have taken are legal, constitutional, and in line with time honored precedence in the House. Neither I nor the other members of Congress will sacrifice the budget in this critical time, for political expediency.
Again, we take the President’s stern admonition to heart, and we assure the public that we share his concern for the welfare of our people. Thank you Mr. President, Congress can now continue to deliberate on the budget without the specter of politics and intrigue hounding us.
To our countrymen, we know that many lives and livelihoods have been lost, and we believe we can help everyone by delivering fully budgeted programs that are responsive to the needs of our fellow citizens as we rebuild the nation from this public health and economic crisis.
The budget will empower the government to create programs that will help the nation adapt, innovate, and manage during these trying times. We want to present a budget that will be the embodiment of our hope for the future. A budget that will allow us – not just to dream of recovery – but to bring this to reality.
We understand he fears and concerns, but we are confident that history’s judgement will show our intentions to be for the country.”
~ Alan Peter Cayetano as posted on his Facebook page