05.06.14

Sessions: Murray Filed Budget Numbers To Spend $19 Billion More This Year

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the deemed budget allocations that Chairman Patty Murray was required to file in the Congressional Record as a condition of the Ryan-Murray spending deal:

“I’m disappointed that Senate Democrats have chosen to make yet another end-run around the Murray-Ryan spending limits in an effort to spend $19 billion more this year than we agreed to. While House Budget Chairman Ryan filed spending enforcement numbers at the same level as the CBO baseline, Senate Budget Chairman Murray did not. What her number does reflect, however, are several budget gimmicks contained in President Obama’s budget request. This action makes clear that the President and Senate Democrats continue to abuse the spending limits that were set forth in law. This is how a nation goes broke.”

BACKGROUND:
Chairman Murray provided $19 billion more in outlays to the Appropriations Committee than would be provided under the Congressional Budget Office’s April baseline, which was what Chairman Ryan used in his filing with the House of Representatives.

Chairman Murray’s increase in outlays to the Appropriations Committee is almost exactly the same as the budget authority “savings” included in the President’s FY15 budget from Changes in Mandatory Programs (CHIMPs). Those budget gimmicks typically provide budget authority savings, but little or no outlay savings. By increasing outlays for the Appropriations Committee above the baseline, Chairman Murray is facilitating the continued use of those gimmicks this year, increasing the debt by a total of $19 billion in the process.