Senator Gregg: Partisan Budget Blueprint Is Bad for Taxpayers and the Economy

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Contact: Andrea Wuebker/Laena Fallon

Senator Gregg: Partisan Budget Blueprint

Is Bad for Taxpayers and the Economy

Senator Judd Gregg, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, today reacted to the fiscal year 2009 budget resolution conference report, filed today by the Democratic members of the conference committee.

“This is a partisan budget crafted behind closed doors -- a budget that’s bad for taxpayers and bad for the economy,” said Senator Gregg. “It includes the largest tax increase in history, blows through the $1 trillion mark in annual discretionary spending, and once again completely punts the urgent issue of entitlement spending reform.”

Senator Gregg was one of four Senate and House Republicans appointed to the FY 2009 budget resolution conference committee, but all four were excluded from all substantive meetings of the committee. Senator Gregg did not sign the conference report, which was made available to Republican conferees for the first time this afternoon.

“I cannot support the majority’s attempt to grow the size of government by hundreds of billions of dollars at the expense of hardworking families and small businesses, especially at a time when average Americans are struggling with high food and gas prices. This Democratic budget certainly does the family budget no favors. In fact, 43 million families with children will owe $2,300 more in taxes, while 18 million seniors will owe $2,200 more, 27 million small business-owners will owe $4,100 more and 7.8 million low-income workers will be added back to the tax rolls.

“Instead of saddling taxpayers with a greater tax burden when they can least afford it, Congress should be adopting a budget that holds the line on spending, keeps taxes on working Americans low, and begins to address the $66 trillion in unfunded entitlement obligations we will otherwise pass on to our children. American taxpayers, now and down the road, deserve a government they can afford.”