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As Congress Fails Budget Deadline, Rep. Johnson Calls for Budget that Invests in the Future of Hard-Working Americans

April 16, 2016
Rep. Johnson vows to fight for a budget that creates jobs, grows paychecks and invests in the future of the American people
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The law requires that Congress enact a budget resolution by today, April 15th. However, the Republican Congress has not even brought the Republican budget proposal to the House Floor for a vote – reflecting apparently the belief of the Leadership that their already savage budget proposal is not radical enough to pass through a Republican majority.
The Republican-led Budget Committee, at the direction of the House GOP Leadership, advanced a budget blueprint that would end the Medicare guarantee for seniors and demand the largest cuts ever proposed by the Budget Committee, but the Republican majority in the House has rejected the plan as insufficiently severe. Rep. Johnson today called on House Republicans to meet the responsibilities of governing, drop their special-interest agenda and instead adopt a budget that creates jobs and grows the paychecks of hard-working Americans.
“Budgets are a statement of values,” said Rep. Johnson. “With this budget debacle, the Republican Congress has made its toxic, special interest values abundantly clear. The Republican Leadership proposed the most devastating ‘Road to Ruin’ budget in history, and even that wasn’t brutal enough to pass the muster of the radical forces that have seized control of the Republican Party.”
While Speaker Ryan – the former Chairman of the House Budget Committee – repeatedly promised to pass a budget and restore regular order to the House, the draconian budget proposed by Republican Leaders was written off by the House GOP. Here’s the budget that was too weak to satisfy Republicans in Congress:
Ends the Medicare guarantee for seniors;
Makes $6.5 trillion in cuts – the sharpest cuts ever proposed by the House Budget Committee;
Devastates investments in good-paying jobs, education and American infrastructure;
Repeals the Affordable Care Act and dismantles the affordable health care of 20 million Americans.
“Hard-working Americans are fed up with the Do-Nothing Republican Congress, which is more interested in stacking the deck for the special interests than doing the basic business of governing,” concluded Rep. Johnson. “House Democrats will continue to fight for a budget that creates jobs, grows paychecks and invests in the future of the American people.”
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