Rehberg Issues Statement on the "Path to Prosperity" Budget

Statement

Montana's Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today issued the following statement after the release of the House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's Proposed Budget for Fiscal Year 2012, also known as the "Path to Prosperity." In contrast to the President's recent budget proposal, which doubles debt held by the public by the end of his first term and triples it by 2021, the Path to Prosperity decreases spending by $6.2 trillion over the next decade. While the President imposes $1.5 trillion in new taxes and permanently expands government, the Path to Prosperity reins in federal spending to below 20% of gross domestic product (GDP), consistent with the postwar average, and reduces deficits by $4.4 trillion.

"A fresh set of ideas were brought to the table today. Some are good, and some will need to be improved, but they're out there in the open for anyone to see and debate. This budget is a starting point, not a final product. The practice of secretly crafting policy first and asking questions second is what gave us Obamacare and a culture of federal bailouts. Americans need to have a fact-based conversation about where we, together, want to take our great nation.

"We know the status quo is unsustainable. If we fail to act with urgency and honesty, our government will collapse under its own weight. We simply cannot afford the government we have, and our children deserve a future free of crushing debt and taxes.

"Now, it will be up to the people of Montana to tell me what they think. I'm ready to listen, and to learn."

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