WASHINGTON, D.C.--Senator John Thune today issued the following statement regarding his vote in support of the Budget Control Act of 2011:

"This deal is far from perfect, but it is important to look at how Republicans have changed the direction of Washington. This year began with President Obama presenting a budget that increased spending by 55 percent, increased taxes by $1.6 trillion, and doubled the debt to the staggering sum of $26 trillion in just 10 years. With the deck stacked that heavily against Republicans, we were able to negotiate a deal that is a good first step in the opposite direction President Obama and Congressional Democrats wanted to take this country. I do have serious concerns about the potential deep and disproportionate cuts to our military and will fight against efforts to weaken America's national security."

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