Congressman French Hill’s Statement on Bipartisan Budget Act

WASHINGTON – Congressman French Hill (AR-02) issued the following statement after voting for the Bipartisan Budget Act:

“I supported this measure because I’m strongly committed to keeping our government open and funding our common defense in order to ensure that our men and women in uniform have the resources and tools they need to protect our homeland and carry out their missions abroad. After years of severe cuts to our military, we are properly funding our defense by giving our troops their first pay raise in eight years and providing them with weapon upgrades, enhanced missile defense systems, and better training and supplies.

“However, our budget process is broken. We need to end the cycle of running our nation on short-term spending bills. I believe that extending our debt limit without any substantial reforms will only provide greater uncertainty in our financial markets, and, in turn, negatively affect Arkansan and American families. I commend bipartisan leadership for their efforts to reform the appropriations process, but this is not sufficient in and of itself. Which is why I requested that the House hold a vote on a balanced budget amendment in order to compel the government to better prioritize the spending of hard-earned tax dollars, and I’ve gotten a pledge from House Leadership that we will vote on a balanced budget amendment before the next spending deadline. I’m also calling on our President to propose mandatory reforms to put us on a sustainable pathway to fiscal stability and ensure that future generations are not shouldered with insurmountable debt.

“We’ve been successful in delivering comprehensive tax reform to families, so it’s time to apply that same level of dedication to getting our nation’s checkbook under control. Our children and their children’s children deserve to have the opportunity to live out their dreams and hope in a better future – and that starts with getting our fiscal house in order.”