Marathon Pundit: Illinois GOP members of Congress dismiss Obama's budget

Monday, February 13, 2012

Illinois GOP members of Congress dismiss Obama's budget

Roskam with Marathon Pundit

Illinois Republican members of Congress are weighing in on President Obama's proposed budget.

First up is Rep. Peter Roskam of Wheaton the House Chief Deputy Whip, who represents the Sixth District.

The president's budget is an unfortunate failure that will make our economy worse, hurt current seniors and threaten future generations' prosperity. With national unemployment above eight percent for three years and debt challenges so great they threaten to diminish our children's futures, America needed more than an election-year budget with the same debt, doubt, and job-destroying policies from President Obama. This budget increases taxes on small businesses, continues Obamacare’s raid on Medicare, and adds trillions in new spending and borrowing, while failing to tackle America's debt crisis.

It also serves as a painful reminder that President Obama simply hasn't lived up to his promises. After promising to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term, this budget projects an even higher deficit than last year, ensuring trillion-dollar deficits for all four years of the Obama administration – just as we watch Greece painfully succumb to excessive debt. If we don't manage our debt now, our debt will forever manage us. Americans deserve a President that’s willing to tackle America's enormous and multiplying debt. If we don't, future generations will inherit a diminished, Greece-like future.

Rep. Randy Hultgren of Winfield, who represents the 14th District is next.

Reagan Boyhood Home, Dixon, IL,
14th District

The president's proposed budget is an unserious and irresponsible document that ignores our country's dire fiscal straits. Throwing good money after bad on wasteful ‘stimulus’ projects, while raising taxes on hardworking small business owners, will not get our economy moving and put Americans back to work. What was needed was not a political document to assist in the president's reelection campaign, but a serious-minded blueprint toestore our nation to fiscal health.

It's also outrageous that while this President has proposed yet another trillion dollar deficit, he has once again demonstrated his hostility to Fermilab and high energy physics research. It is amazing that he can simultaneously advocate more wasteful 'stimulus' spending, while cutting the budget for high energy physics.

Rep. Joe Walsh, who represents the 8th District, also issued a statement:

Walsh with the blogger

While I commend the president for attempting to cut spending, the truth is his budget proposal will never actually balance the budget—not in one year, ten years, or one hundred years. Without actually balancing the budget, we will never pull our country out of this recession and get America working again. These same liberal policies—more spending, higher taxes, and over-regulation—are only hurting our economy. We must balance the budget.

The first bill I ever introduced was a Balanced Budget Amendment that has sixty-one cosponsors. More spending, higher taxes, and no balanced budget amendment is a big government recipe for more debt. The Obama budget is just another example of big government and why we need a Balanced Budget Amendment. Only a Balanced Budget Amendment will stop Washington's reckless, unsustainable spending and stop the mountain of debt that will burden our children and grandchildren.

And finally, Don Manzullo of Egan, who represents the 16th District, has these comments:

Fulton, IL, 16th District

The president just doesn't get it. He continues to call for deficit spending as far as the eye can see, combined with tax increases on employers that will stifle job creation and delay our economic recovery. The only way we are going to strengthen our economy and help put Americans back to work is to slam the brakes on the unnecessary and unconstitutional spending that is continuing to drive our government deeper and deeper into debt.

We need bold action, which is why I supported the Republican Study Committee budget last year that would have cut $9.1 trillion in spending over 10 years, strengthened Social Security and Medicare, reformed our tax code, and actually eliminated our budget deficit by the year 2020. We need to combine serious spending cuts with pro-jobs policies that will help our employers thrive again so they can put Americans back to work. My American Jobs Agenda offers a blueprint for strengthening our economy and helping employers create jobs.