Representative Mike Kelly Calls House Republicans' 2012 Budget Proposal an Act of Leadership that Puts Prosperity above Politics

Statement

Representative Mike Kelly (PA-03) issued the following statement regarding the House Republicans' "Path to Prosperity" budget proposal for fiscal year 2012:

"Like President Obama, I want to win the future. I want to win it for my four children and four grandchildren. But in order to win the future we've got to fight for it first, and today's 2012 budget proposal was the first real effort to tackle today's challenges before they become tomorrow's crisis.

"And that crisis is looming. We have a $14 trillion national debt that not only poses a serious threat to our economic recovery, but, according to Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it's the greatest threat to our national security.

"For too long, our government has spent too much, taxed too much, and borrowed too much. We are about to exceed our national debt ceiling for the sixth time in six years, a record that no one should be proud of. If a business or individual tried to keep raising their credit card limit without paying down their debt, they'd go broke, bankrupt or out of business. That's what going to happen to our government if we don't address the debt now.

"The 2012 budget announced by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan puts us on a pathway toward prosperity that offers real spending reform while creating certainty for private-sector job creators. The Republican proposal includes $6.2 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade, dialing back non-security discretionary spending to below pre-stimulus, pre-bailout, 2008 levels, and reducing both the total deficit by $4.4 trillion and the total debt by $4.7 trillion.

"Part of this debt reduction comes from long-overdue entitlement reform, including Medicare reform. Under this plan, seniors are safe. People over 55 will see no changes under the current program, with reform measures put in place to make benefits available to those under 55. This is a necessary measure that will keep our seniors secure while securing the solvency of this program for future generations.

"Today's budget proposal will be thoroughly debated throughout the coming months, and where it needs to be improved, we'll improve it. Yet on its face, it's a pro-growth plan rooted in the free-market, limited government principles that our nation was founded on and that will guide us to continued prosperity and enduring freedom."

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