CNN reports that House Republicans on April 26 voted for a bill to increase the federal debt limit, but it comes with all sorts of budget cuts that mean it will not pass in the Senate. Rep. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota admitted the theatricality of the vote, saying, “This is the first conversation. The next conversation is what comes next and we know that and this is part of negotiation." Locally, Republicans Marc Molinaro and Elise Stefanik voted for the bill, while Democrats Pat Ryan and Paul Tonko voted against. Ryan complained on the House floor that the measure would cut funding for all discretionary programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Meals on Wheels, Head Start, the State Opioid Response Program, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Ryan said, “In New York alone, my home state, it threatens food assistance to 54,000 people and cuts pre-school and childcare for 17,000 kids. It puts at risk Meals on Wheels for over one million seniors nationwide and would cut $30 billion in support to our veterans." Read more about this story at the CNN website.