Oversight
Senate Committees Sound Alarm Over Cost Concerns With Gang Immigration Proposal
"It is essential that we have answers to these questions before any legislation is unveiled so that the public can be informed and provide input… As we discovered through several oversight requests from the Agriculture, Budget, and Judiciary Committees, existing federal immigration law designed to protect taxpayers is not enforced by this administration. One of the biggest challenges facing any reform of our nation's immigration laws is the refusal of this administration to enforce the la… Continue Reading
04.10.13
Sessions: President’s Budget ‘Not Merely Reckless; It Is Unthinkable’
"This proposal goes to extraordinary lengths to shield the federal bureaucracy from any reform, even as millions of Americans are trapped in failed government programs. It grows the government at the expense of the economy. It enriches the bureaucracy at the expense of the people. And it threatens to permanently depress the American economy under a never-ending avalanche of debt." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following sta… Continue Reading
04.10.13
The President’s Plan Takes More to Spend More
Their Budget Never Balances-Ever The House budget balances in ten years, but, like Senate Democrats, the White House says their budget never balances-ever. $8.2 Trillion in New Debt Accounting for the cost of eliminating the sequester and removing the budget gimmicks, net deficit reduction is only $119 billion. Additional deficit increase in FY2013: $61 billion Total U.S. debt in 2023: $25.4 trillion Debt increase per household: $60,980 Interest payments on the debt in 2023: $763 bi… Continue Reading
04.04.13
Major Flaw In Gang Of Eight Plan Could Cost Taxpayers Trillions
According to what has been publicly reported about the Gang of Eight's forthcoming immigration bill, there appears to be a major flaw that could allow millions of illegal immigrants to access federal welfare benefits and poverty programs. Specifically, there is nothing in the framework to apply federal public charge law to those in the country illegally before they are granted legal status. What this means is that the bill would create an end-run around federal law: individuals in the country il… Continue Reading
04.01.13
Sessions Delivers Opening Remarks As Senate Begins Debate On First Budget In Four Years
"If the American people take nothing else away from this debate, it should be that the party running this Senate, spending your dollars, refuses to ever balance the federal budget… [Their plan's] surging debt and taxes will crush American workers, close American factories, and depress American wages… This budget effectively shows no concern for Americans living in poverty, struggling to find work, trapped in a stale bureaucratic welfare state… This budget perpetuates the mi… Continue Reading
03.23.13
Sessions Comments On Passage Of Senate Majority’s First Budget In Four Years
"Now that the Senate majority has written a plan we can finally begin this conversation: Do we balance the budget and grow the economy for all Americans? Or do we continue to enrich the bureaucracy at the expense of the people?" WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement tonight after the budget plan authored by Chairman Patty Murray and the Senate Democrats failed to garner majority support, but was approved by a vot… Continue Reading
03.23.13
Senate Democrats Vote To Give Free Healthcare And Obamacare To Illegal Immigrants As Part Of Immigration Reform
"This will dramatically accelerate the insolvency of our entitlement programs and is unfair to American workers and taxpayers." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued a statement tonight following a 43-56 vote on his amendment to ensure that illegal immigrants cannot access free and taxpayer-funded health care if they are granted legal status as part of any immigration bill: "The core legal and economic principle of immigration is that… Continue Reading
03.21.13
Sessions Comments After Senate Democrats Stunningly Oppose Balancing The Budget Through Any Means Whatsoever
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued a statement after Senate Democrats voted against his motion to recommit the Murray budget to committee with instructions to find a way to balance the budget in 10 years. Only Sen. Joe Manchin joined with Republicans in support of balancing the federal budget. Sessions' comment follows: "Tonight the American people witnessed a remarkable and alarming event: the Senate's Democrat majority declared the… Continue Reading
03.20.13
Unmasking The $1.5T Tax Hike In Senate Democrats’ FY14 Budget
When the Budget Committee minority staff began analyzing Chairman Patty Murray's FY 2014 budget last week, they were shocked to discover that the plan called for not $975 billion in tax increases-the amount that the majority proudly and openly claimed-but instead $1.5 trillion in tax hikes. How is this possible? The answer lies in an arcane budget tool known as a "deficit neutral reserve fund" (DNRF). Because it is not possible to legislate on a budget resolution, DNRFs were created to facilita… Continue Reading
03.18.13
Sessions Replies To Vilsack On Foreign SNAP Promotions, Seeks Cost Info Ahead Of Budget Votes
"As you may know, the Senate [is scheduled to] vote on the budget resolution. To assist Senators in their work on the budget, and as well as work on future government funding measures, it would be helpful to have certain additional details about the food stamp program as well as the 14 other nutrition-support programs administered by USDA… According to the standards you referenced, immigrants can access 85 percent of the welfare state and still not be deemed public charges. You may also b… Continue Reading
03.16.13
Vote Alert: Budget Committee Democrats Reject Key GOP Amendments To Grow Economy, Not Gov't
WASHINGTON-During the mark-up of what would be the first Senate budget in four years, Republicans on the Budget Committee offered several key amendments to balance the budget, grow the economy, and return to the sound principles of the bipartisan 1996 welfare reform agreement. Amazingly, the panel's Democrat majority unanimously opposed each of these efforts. Amendment summaries and vote tallies follow: SESSIONS AMDT.: This amendment would reduce revenues in the Chairman's Mark to the level o… Continue Reading
03.15.13
Senate Democrats Try To Fool Nation With Budget Hoax
On the day Paul Ryan released his budget, Chairman Murray released a summary document to media that claimed $1.85 trillion in deficit reduction, including $975 billion in spending cuts. Both of these claims are completely false and were proven to be so by the actual budget resolution Chairman Murray released later the next day. Yet Senate Democrats continued to make these same provably false claims throughout the mark-up, and they show no signs of stopping yet. Senate Democrats' claim of $1.85 … Continue Reading
03.14.13
Ranking Member Sessions Remarks On Conclusion Of FY14 Senate Budget Mark-Up
"This is the kind of meeting we should have been having all along-public, open process… [but] I remain deeply disappointed that the majority's proposal not only fails to change our debt course, but actually increases spending over the next 10 years-including $162 billion of increased spending next year alone… What is particularly troubling is that the majority shields from accountability government programs that are failing those who need our help the most… The Murray budget… Continue Reading
03.13.13
Senate Democrats’ Tax-And-Spend Plan Grows The Government—Not The Economy
A Budget That Never Balances-EverSenate Democrats had four years to come up with a plan to balance the budget and grow the economy. Four years to develop a proposal to make government less wasteful and more productive, and to reform failing government programs that have trapped millions in poverty and joblessness. But after four years and $6 trillion in debt since a budget was last passed, their vague proposal leaves America with a budget that never balances and a government that never stops gro… Continue Reading
03.13.13
After Reviewing Murray Budget, Sessions Conveys ‘Deep Disappointment’
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today after his initial review of the Murray budget which, if enacted, would be the first Senate Democratic budget in four years: "Four years have passed since the last time Senate's Democrat majority attempted to pass a budget. Four years of trillion-dollar deficits. Yet, to my amazement and deep disappointment, the majority has come forward today with a proposal that does n… Continue Reading
03.13.13
Sessions Delivers Opening Statement At Committee Meeting To Produce First Senate Democrat Budget In Four Years
"Is it really possible that after four years, the majority has failed to identify any reforms? That all we have is just a tax-and-spend budget that makes no alteration to our dangerous debt course? Does the majority believe the government is perfect and requires no reform? … Is the Budget Committee of the United States Senate really prepared to say we cannot balance the federal budget? If that is so, it is a sad day in America… I fear the majority's plan will enrich the bureaucrac… Continue Reading
03.12.13
After Four Years, Senate Democrats Have Obligation To Present Budget Free Of Gimmicks
After four years of defying their statutory responsibility to lay out a financial plan for the nation, Senate Democrats have relented and announced they will draft and introduce a budget this year. The nation's debt has climbed to $16.7 trillion since then-greater than the size of the entire economy-so it is essential that their budget be an honest one that changes our debt course, not a plan full of gimmicks. Here are some of the accounting tricks that must be avoided. False 'Balance'We have a… Continue Reading
03.09.13
Sessions Delivers Weekly Republican Address
"We need to grow the economy-not the government… Government has never been bigger or more out of control. They say there is no problem with waste, fraud, and abuse; they say the problem is you; they say you are not sending them enough money; they say they have wisely spent every penny. So, you must just send them more. And, if you don't? Well, they won't stop spending, they'll just borrow more. These destructive policies cannot continue. We are at the breaking point." WASHINGTON, D.C.-In… Continue Reading
03.08.13
Sessions, Ryan Call For Halt On Taxpayer Funding For Risky High-Speed Rail Project
"We are deeply troubled by the prospects of subsidizing another costly, wasteful, and risky high-speed rail project, particularly when our nation is facing a debt crisis that threatens the well-being of the current and future generations of Americans… We would urge the Administration to reject the XpressWest loan application and to direct its available RRIF funds to more worthy transportation infrastructure projects that could truly provide a reasonable rate of return to the taxpayers of … Continue Reading
03.04.13
Sessions Comments On Nomination Of New OMB Director
"The Director must lead an effort to make government leaner and more efficient, and must be committed to providing honest and accurate information on the dangerous financial condition of our country." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding President Obama's nomination of Sylvia Burwell to head the Office of Management and Budget: "We will fairly and thoughtfully evaluate this nomination. Whoever h… Continue Reading
