Congressman Barrett Speaks in Opposition to Democrat Budget

Statement

Congressman Barrett Speaks in Opposition to Democrat Budget

Opposing the largest tax increase in history in a speech on the House floor today, Congressman Gresham Barrett, Vice Ranking Member of the Budget Committee, voted with 209 of his Congressional colleagues in opposition to S.Con.Res. 70 - The Concurrent Budget Resolution for 2009.

"I rise today in opposition to the Budget Conference Report. By allowing tax relief to expire, the House passed Democrat budget resolution calls for a $683 billion tax hike. In my home state of South Carolina, the Democrat's budget is about a $2,500 tax increase for my average South Carolinian home. This tax increase would be the largest in American History.

"Mr. Speaker, the government spends too much money as it is and I can't imagine what it would be like with an additional $683 billion dollars. We have serious challenges facing this nation and more money is not the solution.

* It increases discretionary spending by $21 billion above the President's request that pushes discretionary spending past the $1 trillion mark for FY2009.

* It fails to maintain emergency funds that were included in the Republican FY2007 budget resolution.

* It has 37 reserve funds which include the promise of billions of additional spending which I can only assume will be paid for with additional taxes.

* And finally, the House Budget Committee listened to many testimonies from budget experts indicating our nation was facing a fiscal crisis when it comes to entitlement spending. Yet, the conference report does nothing to truly address this issue. We cannot just raise taxes and hope that our entitlement programs will remain soluble.

"Mr. Speaker, I had hoped that at least some of the common sense solutions put forth in the Republican substitute would have been included in the final budget resolution. The Republican alternative offered on the House floor balances the Budget by 2012, without raising taxes - by reforming currently unsustainable entitlement programs, imposing a moratorium on all earmarks and exercising accountability in other government spending.

"Instead of increasing the burden on American citizens we have an obligation and a responsibility to find real workable solutions, that is why I urge my colleagues to vote against this budget resolution," said Congressman Gresham Barrett in a speech on the House Floor today.

Congressman Gresham Barrett opposes the Concurrent Budget Resolution because it raises taxes by at least $683 billion over the next five years. It will place an average tax hike of $1,833 in 2011 on 116 million taxpayers. It also increases discretionary spending by $21 billion above the President's request, pushing it above $1 trillion for 2009. Congressman Gresham Barrett also opposes this year's budget because it does not address earmark reform when last year's appropriations bills included some 11,000 earmarks, totaling $14.8 billion.

The Concurrent Budget Resolution passed the House today 214 to 210, where 14 Democrats voted no.

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