08.16.11

Sessions: Two Trillion In Spending Cuts Only A Fraction Of What’s Ultimately Needed

“Up to now, the president has not been a partner in deficit reduction, but an obstacle. He must, for the first time since taking office, present to the American people a plan with specific, immediate, and lasting spending cuts… Whatever the White House ultimately produces we must remember that $2 trillion in spending cuts is only a small fraction of the spending cuts contained in Republican budget plans this year… It is in fact only a four percent reduction in spending over 10 years.”

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding the debt ceiling negotiations and the need for meaningful, concrete, sustained spending reductions:

“In his first two years in office, President Obama increased non-defense discretionary spending 24 percent, spent $8.5 trillion, and already added almost $4 trillion to the gross federal debt. We are projected to spend $46 trillion over the next ten years and add another $13 trillion to the gross federal debt under the president’s February budget. Up to now, the president has not been a partner in deficit reduction, but an obstacle. He must, for the first time since taking office, present to the American people a plan with specific, immediate, and lasting spending cuts. President Obama is the CEO of the federal government and is in the best position to streamline operations and reduce expenditures. As demonstrated by the landmark Senate vote yesterday to try and uphold the legal requirement for a budget—the Democrat-led Senate has not adopted one in 807 days—Senators will not simply line up behind a deal that has escaped public process and scrutiny.

Whatever the White House ultimately produces, we must remember that $2 trillion in spending cuts is only a small fraction of the spending cuts contained in Republican budget plans this year—for instance $6 trillion in the House-passed budget. $2 trillion or so in spending cuts may be the ceiling for Washington Democrats, but it is in fact

only a four percent reduction in spending over 10 years at a time when spending is projected to increase 57 percent.”

[Note: To view a statement about Sessions’ proposal—co-sponsored by Sens. Kelly Ayotte, Jim DeMint, Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, Rand Paul, Pat Toomey, and David Vitter—to require that any debt limit increase be made public at least 7 days before a vote, please click here. To view information about yesterday’s landmark vote and Sessions’ proposal to make it more difficult for Congress to appropriate money without having passed a budget, please click here.]