Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Scott Perry voted against H.R. 3877 Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019, a bipartisan deal that brazenly ignores fiscal responsibility, busts through federal spending caps and eliminates the federal debt ceiling for the next two years. 
  
“Reckless spending isn’t what my constituents sent me here to support, which is why I won’t support this bill. We need to get our federal spending under control,” said Perry.

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and the Great Recession, Congress enacted the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011. The proposal implemented strict restrictions on what Congress could spend in order to get our debt and deficits under control, including spending caps - how much money Congress can spend on both Defense and non-Defense spending in a given year. The BCA also required automatic spending cuts (“sequestration”) in the event Congress can’t agree to a deficit reduction deal. This deal flouted these restrictions – once again - without regard for the Taxpayer. 

H.R. 3877 will increase defense and non-defense spending, giving all federal agencies nearly a 4% boost in funding. This is exactly the problem with Washington – this bill provides $738 billion in defense spending - an increase of 3.1% ($22 billion) over this year’s enacted level, and $632 billion for non-defense spending, including $2.5 billion for one-time costs associated with the 2020 Census. 

In terms of budget caps, the bill allows for an increase discretionary spending (non-defense) limits by $321 Billion over two years. $77.4 billion of that has no offsets (i.e., where does the increase come from/how does it get paid for?). “That means we’re – AGAIN - planning on spending more than we’re taking in, with no plan to pay it back,” Perry continued.

“Americans balance our budgets every day. They get second jobs, they delay major purchases, they work hard to save. The federal government, however, just keep opening a new credit card with no plan to pay it off – reckless spending that keeps leaving the Taxpayer holding the ball, and weakening our dollar. This is the reality we keep facing in Washington, and once again, why I rejected this proposal. It’s breathtakingly unfair to the American Taxpayer,” concluded Perry.