Stutzman Defends Fiscal Responsibility

Press Release

U.S. Congressman Marlin Stutzman issued the following statement today after the unsuccessful passage of House Amendment No. 1 offered to H.R. 6, the 21st Century Cures Act, by a vote of 141-281.

"As a co-sponsor of the amendment offered by Rep. Brat (VA), which sought to convert the $9 billion in spending in H.R. 6 from mandatory to discretionary, I am disappointed in its defeat.

"While I wholeheartedly support funding research for life-saving medical treatments, I disagree with how the bill was funded. This is why I co-sponsored an amendment to provide funding through the discretionary spending process instead of creating a new mandatory spending program. Our federal budget is not a pot of unlimited funds, we need to balance it just like we do at home and I look forward to working with my colleagues in advancing funding for health care research-- in a fiscally responsible fashion."

Background:

* Stutzman is an original cosponsor to H.R. 3012, the Right to Try Act that would allow American citizens access to investigational drugs that have passed the FDA's basic safety testing, but have not yet been fully approved.

* Stutzman co-authored the conservative Republican Study Committee's budget alternative, which balances the federal budget in six years, reforms and reduces government spending by $7.1 trillion over 10 years and repeals Obamacare through reconciliation.

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