Congressman Tim Griffin (AR-02) issued the following statement after House passage of the FY 2014 Congressional Budget:
“While the President puts his basketball brackets before his budgeting duties, House Republicans are focused on saving Medicare from bankruptcy, growing our economy naturally from the bottom-up, and balancing the budget without raising taxes on hardworking Americans. Our budget is a smart, new approach that will protect vital programs like Medicare for folks like my own mom and preserve them for their grandkids too.”
Federal spending has increased by 19 percent since President Obama took office, and is scheduled to grow by five percent a year over the next decade. The House budget restrains the annual rate of growth in federal spending to 3.4 percent, saving taxpayers $4.6 trillion over the next 10 years. By 2023, the House budget would turn our country’s annual $1 trillion deficits into a $7 billion surplus, balancing the budget for the first time since President Clinton partnered with House Republicans. The House budget also repeals ObamaCare, leaves Medicare unchanged for current seniors and those approaching retirement age while protecting and strengthening it for future generations.
By law, the President must submit a budget each year on the first Monday in February. President Obama has failed to meet this deadline four out of the past five years, including this year. His past four budgets have all included annual deficits exceeding $1 trillion. Last year, his budget failed to garner a single vote in the Democrat-controlled Senate. During his presidency, the federal debt has increased by more than $5.8 trillion, reaching a record $16.7 trillion debt.
For five years in a row, President Obama has submitted his NCAA basketball tournament picks on time to ESPN. According to the White House, the President has Louisville, Ohio State, Florida and Indiana in the Final Four.
