Washington, DC - U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) released the following statement on his votes today to curb spending and for the payroll tax agreement:

"With a 21 percent increase in federal spending over the past three years, Washington needs to cut back just as Ohio families have had to do. I just don't think this huge spending bill cuts enough. We won't have the robust recovery and new jobs we all want until we really address our record debt and massive deficits.

“I also object to a process where we were given just one full day to review a $915 billion bill totaling 1,219 pages, and given no opportunity to amend the bill before the final vote.

“We were able to take an important step today, though, by addressing unemployment insurance, the payroll tax cut, and the ‘doc fix,’ and, just as importantly, we paid for the extensions, preventing economic harm caused by more deficit spending.  It was also significant that the agreement included legislation forcing a decision be made on a key energy and jobs project, the Keystone XL pipeline.  Ohio manufacturers stand to benefit from the project, and our nation benefits from the increased energy production of a key ally, Canada.”