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Public Statements

Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2014

Floor Speech

Location: Unknown


Mr. ROKITA. I thank Chairman Ryan for his distinguished leadership in bringing this budget to the floor. I rise in high support of it. I also am very proud. It's one of the highest honors I have had in my short time here to serve on this committee, not because of chairman RYAN only, but because of the members. By members, I mean Republican members and Democrat members. I note for the Record that Mr. Levin is not a member of the Budget Committee. But there are great people who are. That's why it's perhaps because of some of that pride that I'm disappointed to hear the ranking member characterize the accomplishment--because that's what it is--the accomplishment of balancing within 10 years as some sort of political goal.

Families who are trying to put food on the table, neighborhood associations, nonprofits, and for-profit businesses, for that matter, that have to make a budget balance every day, every month, ever year, I think should be offended by that characterization. It's not a political goal.

You know what's political, Mr. Chair? It's never balancing. You know what's political is the immoral idea that we are going to put more on our plate now, add up deficit after deficit, create a bigger and bigger debt, and then make people who don't even exist yet pay for it. Why is that political? Because, Mr. Chair, the people in the here and now can vote. Generations in the future, our grandkids who don't yetexist, can't vote. And that's what makes the other approaches we've heard about immoral, wrong, political. We balance. We balance within 10 years.

Now let's contrast that a bit--our responsible approach--to what the Senate Democrats have done, for example. Next year alone, the Senate Democrats' budget increases spending by $162 billion above what we're spending today. Over 10 years it increases our debt by $7.3 trillion from today's levels, despite a massive tax hike that they have. And that tax hike adds $1.5 trillion in new taxes. So even after that, they still add to the debt--our kids' debt, our grandkids' debt--by $7.3 trillion.

Again, Mr. Chair, it never balances. After 4 years and $6 trillion in debt since a budget was even last passed, the Senate Democrats' vague proposal leaves America with even more debt and government that never stops growing. Amazingly, after 4 years, the Democrats were unable to identify any real reforms--no tax reform and no entitlement reform. It's simply not a serious proposal.

I stand, again, in support of the House budget because it's responsible, it's real, it balances in 10 years, and it's the last thing from political.


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