Budget Week in Washington
Even in Washington, miracles can happen. For the first time since 2009, the Democrat-led Senate Budget Committee actually met to discuss their budget proposal, and it is scheduled to be debated. But not all talk is cheap. The Senate budget would increase spending by $265 billion and increase taxes by $923 billion – and their budget never balances. When looking at this proposal, it’s clear that we’ve yet to see leadership from the Democrats in the Senate or President Obama. Last year, the president’s budget didn’t receive one single vote of support in the House or Senate, which could be why he’s yet to submit his budget blueprint to Congress.
The president says it’s important that we address our mounting debt, but how can we take these claims seriously? Each year, the president is required by law to deliver his budget for the upcoming fiscal year to Congress the first Monday in February. But for the fourth time in five years his budget is late, and this time, it’s really late. By the time the president submits his budget to Congress, the House will have sent their budget to the Senate for approval. House Republicans get it: it is time for our bloated government to scale back and stop spending money we don’t have.
For the third consecutive year, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan has put forth his budget blueprint. This year’s budget is an improvement over last year’s because it would balance the budget over ten years, reform our complicated tax code, repeal President Obama’s health care law and ensure our military leaders have the tools they need to protect Americans at home and abroad. According to a recent poll conducted by The Hill newspaper, 55 percent of likely voters believe we should cut spending by $5 trillion, balance the budget and refrain from raising taxes. These principles are all key provisions in the Ryan budget. In contrast, just 24 percent of respondents said the budget should be balanced only by raising taxes, the approach the president supports.
Americans have spoken out against these tax, borrow, and spend policies, and the Republican plan proves we’ve heard the message. This plan would start the process of getting our fiscal house in order and by 2023, we’ll have a $7 billion annual budget surplus. This budget proposal reflects the kind of leadership Americans deserve, and I supported this plan on the House floor. I hope my colleagues in the Senate will stop putting off the tough decisions and join the Majority to get our country back on track.
