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Dallas Twp. supervisors to decide on plan to buy child-care headquarters

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With extraordinary political optics, Winter Olympics begin

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Here&#8217;s how local lawmakers reacted to Friday&#8217;s $400 billion budget deal that sharply boosts spending and swells the federal deficit.</p><p>&#8226; U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, said the agreement contains a badly needed spending increase to strengthen national security, rebuild a neglected military, and honor the commitment to veterans.</p><p>&#8220;Unfortunately, it also adds $131 billion in non-security spending, without any real, meaningful offsetting spending reductions,&#8221; Toomey said. &#8220;Our federal government is on an unsustainable fiscal path. This spending spree makes it worse.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, called it a bipartisan deal to fund the government and address a number of vitally important issues.</p><p>&#8220;I have pushed for a funding agreement that invests in our infrastructure, funds efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and funds community health centers,&#8221; Casey said. &#8220;Although there is vital work to do on additional issues, this bipartisan agreement will help Pennsylvania families.&#8221;</p><p>Next week, Casey said the Senate will begin a debate on protections for the immigrants known as &#8220;Dreamers,&#8221; who were brought to this country as children.</p><p>Their status was not addressed in the budget deal, as had previously been hoped.</p><p>&#8226; U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Moosic, said he supported the budget bill because it contained many provisions that help families.</p><p>&#8220;This bipartisan budget deal provides long-term funding for CHIP and community health centers, directs over $3 billion to combat the opioid epidemic, and invests in our nation&#8217;s infrastructure,&#8221; Cartwright said. &#8220;I urge the GOP leadership to use this moment of bipartisanship to allow the House to vote on a bill addressing the status of the 1.8 million Dreamers left out of this agreement.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, said the budget package reverses the defense sequester &#8212; or automatic cuts &#8212; by allowing for $700 billion in defense spending for Fiscal Year 2018 and $716 billion in defense spending for FY19. He said the deal also includes a $46 billion increase in non-defense spending in FY18 and FY19 to be used for National Institutes of Health research, the opioid epidemic, mental health programs, and reducing the Veterans Administration health care backlog.</p><p>&#8220;Elevating the budget caps on defense spending was the critical underlying feature of this two-year budget package,&#8221; Barletta said. &#8220;Our military readiness has deteriorated at an alarming rate, severely limiting America&#8217;s ability to maintain the sufficient and necessary resources to provide for a national defense.&#8221;</p><p>He continued: &#8220;There are a lot of things I am upset with about this budget that I will continue to fight against in the upcoming appropriations processes.&#8221;</p><p>&#8226; U.S. Rep. Tom Marino, R-Williamsport, said he voted to keep the federal government open and provide certainty to military members and their families.</p><p>&#8220;While many of my colleagues chose to vote &#8216;no&#8217; on this bill, I believe that our service members deserve all of the support we can provide,&#8221; said Marino. &#8220;As President Reagan said, the United States must provide peace through strength. This bill will help accomplish that pursuit.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Casey_Bob_2013_toned.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Casey </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Casey_Bob_2013_toned.jpg</photo0><caption0>Casey </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Barletta_Lou-CMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Barletta </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Barletta_Lou-CMYK.jpg</photo1><caption1>Barletta </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Cartwright_Matt-CMYK.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Cartwright </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Cartwright_Matt-CMYK.jpg</photo2><caption2>Cartwright </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Marino.CMYK_.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Marino </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Marino.CMYK_.jpg</photo3><caption3>Marino </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Toomey-10-09-2016_mug-cmyk-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Toomey </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_Toomey-10-09-2016_mug-cmyk-1.jpg</photo4><caption4>Toomey </caption4><photoCredit4></photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

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NEPA’s congressional delegation reacts to federal budget deal