Ranking Member Press
Balanced Budget Amendment Would Pave Way For Unprecedented Economic Growth
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today after all 47 Republican Senators joined to introduce a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution: "In the Budget Committee we have heard countless warnings from expert after expert and witness after witness. We are on a dangerous and unsustainable path of spending and borrowing. The chairs of the president's own fiscal commission warned that the United States f… Continue Reading
11.22.11
Sessions Comments On Committee’s Analysis Revealing True Impact Of Defense Sequestration
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today upon the release of a new Budget Committee analysis about the concrete effects of the sequester on both defense and non-defense spending. In light of the supercommittee's failure to reach a deficit reduction agreement, the disproportionate nature of defense cuts has received increased attention: "There's been much confusion over the actual effects of the sequester. This… Continue Reading
11.21.11
Sessions Remarks On Supercommittee Announcement
"Had the president made clear he wanted an agreement, a deal would have been achieved. It seems clear he wanted a campaign issue instead. Rather than confronting the great threat of our time-our $15 trillion debt-the commander-in-chief fled the battlefield." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following remarks today regarding the news that the supercommittee had failed to reach a deficit reduction agreement: "All of us had hoped… Continue Reading
11.17.11
Citing Gimmicks And Spending Increases, Sessions To Oppose Appropriations Bill
"It is strange and bizarre that we have tasked a committee of 12 to achieve deficit reduction at the same time that Congress is working to increase the deficit with bills such as this… With the president at the helm, Washington is continuing to steer the ship of state towards financial disaster. I therefore oppose this bill and hope the president will do the same." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, delivered the following statement… Continue Reading
11.16.11
Sessions: Debt Deal Includes Yet Another Washington Gimmick To Conceal Deficit Spending
"[Under the Budget Control Act,] we're supposed to spend $1,043 billion, down $7 billion from $1,050 billion in discretionary spending last year. Unfortunately, this is just one more empty Washington promise. Because the bill was rushed to passage in the 59th minute of the 11th hour, nobody knew the gimmick at the time… The truth is that it's not, and never was $1,043 billion, but $1,054 billion… If we can't even reach the paltry goal of $7 billion in savings, how on Earth can we t… Continue Reading
11.15.11
As Political Class Calls For Stimulus, Sessions Counters With Middle Class Agenda
"These 'masters of the universe,' as I sometimes call them, are quick to make confident predictions and even quicker to explain why the failure of their last prediction should not count against the one they have just made. They say the mammoth stimulus failed because it just wasn't mammoth enough... What we need is a middle class agenda. That means creating jobs through the private sector; producing more American energy; making the government lean and productive, confronting our dangerously ris… Continue Reading
11.10.11
Sessions Warns: Pushing For Taxes To Avoid 3% Cut Threatens To Collapse Supercommittee’s Effort
"Pushing for tax hikes, instead of seeking common ground to reduce wasteful spending, threatens to collapse the entire effort… Bailing out banks with tax dollars makes them less accountable-it's the same thing with Washington's big spenders… Is a 3 percent cut really too much to ask?" WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today as "supercommittee" negotiations continued: "It has become increasingl… Continue Reading
11.08.11
Sessions Recommends Food Stamp Reform To Supercommittee
"Like welfare reform in the 1990's, smart reforms to the food stamp program will improve outcomes and help more Americans achieve financial independence. Unmonitored welfare programs, over time, can hurt the very people we are seeking to help. A thoughtful reform of funding will not only improve the outlook for our indebted Treasury, but for millions of Americans seeking a better future." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, today released … Continue Reading
11.04.11
Solyndra Economics: Sessions Writes Chu For Answers On How Department Calculates Taxpayer Risk
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, sent a letter to Energy Secretary Chu today requesting detailed information on how the Energy Department calculates the risk factor for the Department's efforts to subsidize certain energy corporations. Sessions asked whether the calculation was revised after the Solyndra incident, and expressed concern that the default and recovery estimates may underestimate the taxpayer risk. Text of the Sessions' lette… Continue Reading
11.03.11
Sessions Remarks On Latest Effort To Increase Borrowing As Part Of President’s Stimulus
"Hardworking Americans have every right to be upset. They watch as major corporations with connections to the White House get bailouts, handouts, and taxpayer-funded loans while they're asked to bear an ever heavier burden." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today after another bipartisan Senate vote to reject a component of the president's second stimulus package, which would overall increase the deficit by … Continue Reading
11.02.11
‘The Public Deserves Better’: Sessions Appeals For Honest Budgeting In Voting Against Spending Bill
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued a statement today following the passage of H.R. 2112, the appropriations "minibus" in the Democrat-led Senate that would see spending increase rather than decrease over last year's level: "This bill represents much of what is wrong with Washington. It promises spending cuts but delivers spending increases. It uses accounting gimmicks to conceal its true cost. And it puts us on a path to spend … Continue Reading
11.01.11
Sessions Outlines Spending Increases And Gimmicks In Appropriations Package
"The majority party [contends] that this bill-this minibus-spends $128 billion, which is $1 billion below the $129 billion spent last year-a reduction of less than 1 percent. They are very proud of this… [but] the overall spending compared to last year went up by $10 billion…" But it gets worse. This bill also contains a number of Washington accounting tricks to sweep new spending under the rug. It's full of the typical gimmicks used to shove more spending into a bill that's alre… Continue Reading
11.01.11
Sessions: Latest Solyndra-Style Bankruptcy ‘Heightens Concerns About Corporate Favoritism’
"Increasingly, we are moving away from our capitalist heritage and towards a system where most Americans play by the rules while some are able to rig the game in their favor." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement in response to Beacon Power's filing for bankruptcy after the company received a $43 million taxpayer-funded loan guarantee: "The revelation that another corporation receiving a loan from the Obama a… Continue Reading
10.27.11
Call on Sebelius to Provide Key CLASS Act Documents
WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.), Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, today sent a letter to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius calling on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide key documents regarding the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act that were drafted prior to the passage of the new health care law. Secretary Sebelius agreed to provide any premium, participation, or actuarial models to Congressional leaders at a Sena… Continue Reading
10.27.11
Are Experts Who Call On U.S. To Curb Rising Debt ‘Extreme’ Too?
"Is the debate over spending just another Republican and Democrat squabble? Is it just an attempt to gain political advantage? Sound and fury signifying nothing? The answer is a resounding 'no.' We are spending money we don't have in amounts dramatically greater than in any time in our history… If we act decisively now to end our wasteful spending habits, we can be confident of growth and progress." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Bu… Continue Reading
10.27.11
Sessions Applauds House Republican Budget, Reprimands Irresponsibility Of Democrat Leaders
"The contrast between [the House Republican] plan, and the failure of the Democrats who run the Senate and White House, is extraordinary." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, made the following statement today after House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan released the FY 2012 House Budget Resolution: "There are three bodies in government that are required to submit a budget proposal every year: the White House, the Sena… Continue Reading
10.27.11
Sessions Calls On President To Withdraw Controversial Budget Nominee
"I must oppose this nomination and renew my call for the president to stop obstructing the efforts to prevent our looming debt crisis and start leading-beginning with the withdrawal of Ms. Higginbottom and the appointment of a qualified nominee." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, made the following comments today after the Budget Committee approved the nomination of Heather Higginbottom to be Deputy OMB Director on a narrow… Continue Reading
10.27.11
Sessions Responds To Latest Developments On Spending Negotiations, Potential Shutdown
"[The House's] reductions in spending are a crucial first step towards getting our fiscal house in order. But President Obama and the Democrat-led Senate have so far refused to take even this first step towards fiscal sanity… Instead, Democrat leaders have resorted to exaggerated, dishonest doomsday predictions about what would happen if we cut government spending by even 2 percent… Years from now people will look back at this year's spending fight as a turning point or a lost oppo… Continue Reading
10.27.11
This Has Always Been A Debate About Spending—And The American People Get It
"Not only are Democrat leaders resisting change, they are attacking-even savaging-the good and decent people who are calling for change… This has never been a debate about 'riders.' It has always been a debate about spending. And that debate is just getting started. We are going to fight to cut spending and strengthen our country every day, week, and month… We will keep fighting until we have secured this nation's legacy for the next generation." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessi… Continue Reading
10.27.11
Sessions Calls on President to Submit New, Concrete Budget Plan to Congress
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today following the announcement that the President will deliver a speech this week on deficit reduction: "The President recently submitted a budget to Congress that was the most irresponsible spending plan any President has ever put forward. Today's announcement that the President will deliver an address this week on deficit reduction is an apparent recognition that the budg… Continue Reading
