Boozman Statement on PAYGO

Statement

Boozman Statement on PAYGO

U.S. Representative John Boozman today issued the following statement after voting in support of a plan proposed by Rep. Paul Ryan to bring fiscal responsibility back to the House of Representatives and voting against the Speaker Pelosi supported legislation.

"I support solutions for an economic recovery built on fiscal discipline in Washington and tax relief for working families and small businesses. Instead, the majority has engaged in political exercises that are high on rhetoric yet fail to bring real relief for the American people. This vote on the Pelosi supported pay-go bill is nothing different. This is disguised as fiscal responsibility when it is riddled with loopholes that allow for an increase in national debt. This is a distraction that does nothing to reduce our deficits, fails to address entitlement spending and is weakened by exemptions which include a staggering $4 trillion worth of government spending. Washington needs to control spending, but all this bill does is provide cover for Congressman to continue the spending spree and tout this as a solution.

Boozman agrees with Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad who said the House majority's pay-go rule is actually weaker than the rules currently in place. "I am absolutely not interested in something that waives $4 trillion in costs in exchange for statutory pay-go."

Congress first instituted statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) legislation in the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 (BEA). PAYGO requires Congress pay for new discretionary spending with tax increases or cuts to other programs.The statutory PAYGO restrictions under the BEA expired in 2002, but were reauthorized in 2007.

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