Press Releases

“The budget before the U.S. House today isn't the agreement I would've drafted. Washington, once again, is avoiding the tough decisions necessary to reduce our unsustainable $17 trillion debt and strengthen the economy for all Americans.

But in a divided government, you don't get everything you want. Americans expect their elected officials to work together and find compromise, and I've never pretended to have a monopoly on good ideas.  We have a chance to take a small step forward on this critical issue - and, simply, we must take it.

This bill will reduce the deficit by $23 billion and guarantees that seniors won't lose access to their doctors. It controls spending in a smarter way than the sequester by eliminating waste - like paying Medicaid bills that dead-beat parents should be paying and sending unemployment checks to criminals.  It also cuts corporate welfare and, however small, begins to reform mandatory spending. It continues the progress made by House Republicans in changing the conversation to how Washington must live within its means, not how families should pay more.

I agree with Fiscal Commission co-chairs Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles when they say, “the small reforms in this agreement do not address the real long-term drivers of our debt, including the growth of health care entitlement programs and Social Security's funding shortfall.” Although we're glad to show that Congress can, indeed, work together, the fundamental issues remain unchanged:  we're nearly $17 trillion in debt and in the process of bankrupting programs like Social Security and Medicare. My first bill in Congress was a balanced budget amendment, I voted for the FY2014 budget that balances in 10 years and I supported other common-sense solutions to reform and sustain such vital programs.

We can't keep spending money we don't have. Democrats and Republicans finally must end the process of kicking these difficult issues down the road for someone else to deal with. I'll continue to work with my colleagues to do so and encourage all citizens to remain engaged in this process.”

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