The following is a statement by Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on the House Republican Budget Resolution.
|
For Immediate Release Contact: Steve Ellis Statement by Ms. Ryan Alexander, president, Taxpayers for Common Sense on the House Republican Budget Resolution Chairman Ryan’s budget resolution provides a vision for reducing the footprint of the federal government, but fails to detail a clear path to a fiscally sustainable future. To put our fiscal house in order, we need to be sure that we eliminate wasteful spending, make spending on the priorities we agree on as efficient as possible, and, importantly, generate sufficient revenue both to cover our expenses and to chip away at our $15 trillion debt. While simplification of the tax code is a goal we applaud and share, the Chairman’s budget stops short of identifying which tax credits and breaks he would eliminate or make clear how his lower tax rates would be adequately offset to ensure they don’t leave the government in a deeper hole than it is now. On the spending side, the budget mixes good choices with terrible ones. It would rein in wasteful agriculture subsidies by cutting $30 billion from the program over the next ten years, which is a strong if cautious start. But it would also raise the base defense budget by $8 billion to $554 billion with few details about where this money would come from, or what strategy requires this increase. This choice erroneously assumes that more spending makes us safer and that the defense budget, by far the largest portion of domestic discretionary spending, is free of waste that should be cut. Finally, the Chairman deserves credit for giving us his plan to tackle unsustainable entitlement programs like Medicare. While his proposals are unlikely to be enacted, this is a discussion that must be had. Chairman Ryan has offered good ideas for fiscal discipline in the past and he has included some here, but a more even hand is needed to steer this country on the right course. ### 651 Pennsylvania Ave, SE • Washington, DC 20003 • Tel: (202) 546-8500 • |
Get Social