Congressman Robert Hurt (R-VA) today released the following statement in response to President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget request:
“Despite the Democrat-led Senate’s unwillingness to vote on a FY 2013 budget, I appreciate the President’s willingness to put forth a budget proposal and join the House in the conversation on how American tax dollars can be saved and how we will go about reducing our staggering debt and deficit in order to grow our economy and create jobs.
“The people of Central and Southside Virginia continue to deliver the urgent message that if we are truly serious about revitalizing our economy and preserving this great country for our children and grandchildren, we must put an end to Washington’s out-of-control spending. House members on both sides of the aisle have acted on this message, but it seems that the President has not yet received the resounding message that the status-quo is unsustainable.
“Instead, in the President’s budget proposal, we see more government programs, more government mandates, and more government spending with the same Washington, DC accounting gimmicks that mask spending as savings. On top of that, the President’s proposal includes trillion dollar tax increases that have been proven to create economic uncertainty and stifle job creation at a time when we can least afford it. What is markedly absent in this proposal is any serious plan to enact reforms that would truly address the debt and deficit crisis that threatens the very future of this country.
“For far too long, Central and Southside Virginians have been negatively affected by the federal government’s inability to live within its means, and they recognize the urgent need for immediate change when it comes to out-of-control spending in Washington. With all due respect to the President, we do not need another “stimulus.” We do need a budget framework that cuts wasteful spending to reduce the debt and deficit, prevents job-crushing tax hikes, makes the reforms critical to preserve health and retirement security programs, and provides the economic certainty necessary for our Main Street businesses to hire, innovate, and expand across the 5th District and the country.”
