Washington, DC – US Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, responded with the following remarks after the Senate’s bipartisan 89-8 vote to postpone the automatic tax hikes and drastic spending cuts referred to as the fiscal cliff.

“I represent the people of Maryland and they do not want to see our nation go over this fiscal cliff. The people of Maryland and all Americans, especially middle income families, cannot afford to have us go over this fiscal cliff.

“While I am glad the Senate took action, again, I was outraged that we did not get a comprehensive deal done months ago. We saw this coming and should not have pushed this to the very last minutes before our deadline. We need to use the next two months wisely so we do not put the country through such a self-inflicted crisis again.”