Rep. Bob Turner, one of three Republicans vynig for a shot to take on Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand in the fall, says he voted for the federal budget as proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan with his “13 grandchildren firmly in mind.”

“I didn’t go to Washington to go wobbly on the tough votes. Tonight, with my 13 grandchildren firmly in mind, I joined 227 reform-minded colleagues in passing the budget plan prepared by Congressman Paul Ryan. I don’t love everything in the bill, but it’s the best option on the table for saving this country. The long-term economic challenges facing the nation are too frightening to ignore. We must tackle them bravely and forcefully for the sake of every generation to follow. Now it’s up to the Senate to show courage, too, by putting a budget on the table. This is gut-check time and the ball is in their court.”

The Ryan budget, which has proved once again to be a lighting rod in the national debate over taxes and spending, passed in the House of Representatives along largely partisan lines 228 to 191. The $3.5 trillion spending plan cuts social domestic spending and provides tax breaks for individuals and businesses.

Backing Ryan’s past budget proposals, which included deep cuts to Medicare spending, have been tricky wickets for New York Republicans in the past. Kathy Hochul was able to use the issue effectively in her special election against Republican Assemblywoman Jane Corwin.

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