Press Release

Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA) today voted for the Budget Control Act. The legislation would reduce spending by more than $2 trillion over ten years, establish spending caps, and require the House and the Senate to vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment before the end of the year. It would also raise the debt ceiling by an amount smaller than the reductions. The first debt ceiling increase corresponds with over $900 billion in immediate spending reductions. The second corresponds with a minimum of $1.2 trillion in additional reductions that will be determined by a House-Senate joint committee. If the joint committee does not reach an agreement, the same amount of spending would automatically be reduced across the board. Congress must either finalize these reductions by the end of the year or send a Balanced Budget Amendment to the states before President Obama can request the second debt ceiling increase. Even if a Balanced Budget Amendment is sent to the states, spending must still be reduced. Herger's remarks on the Budget Control Act follow below:

"The Budget Control Act is a significant step toward changing the culture of spending in Washington. Called upon by the American people, Congress has finally begun discussing spending in terms of how much less we'll spend -- rather than how much more. I'm hopeful that this change in attitude toward spending will result in future positive steps towards getting Washington to live within our means.