Ninth District Representative Adam Smith (D-Kent) voted for H.R. 2015, The Balanced Budget Act, which passed today by a 346 to 85 vote.

The Balanced Budget Act is the first half of the budget deal approved by President Clinton and Congressional leaders earlier this week. It includes $115 billion in Medicare savings, a $24 billion initiative to provide medical care to uninsured children, and eliminates the budget deficit by the year 2002. Congress will vote on the second half of the deal, the tax cut package, tomorrow.

"The balanced budget deal is fiscally responsible, provides a tax cut to middle class families, and prioritizes education," Smith explained. "I'm very pleased that Republicans and Democrats put partisan bickering and pork barrel politics aside in order to pass this bipartisan budget."

The budget deficit, which was at $290 billion in 1993, is projected to be only $50 billion this year. Some critics of the budget deal believe that the economy is so strong, the deficit might disappear on its own. "Members of Congress shouldn't just cross their fingers and hope the budget balances on its own," argued Smith. "We've got to be more fiscally responsible than that. We must get spending under control and take a close look at what our budget priorities are."

One of Smith's priorities is education, and he is pleased with the emphasis on education in this budget. "Important education programs like Pell Grants, vocational education training, and Perkins Loans are increased," he explained. "Plus, there are new tax credits and deductions for higher education, such as a tuition tax credit, a tax deduction for student loan interest, and tax- free education savings accounts."

Tomorrow, Congress will debate and vote on the tax cut package. Smith believes that President Clinton and Democrats prevailed on tax cuts and successfully pressured the Republican leadership to redirect the tax cuts to the middle class. "The education tax cuts were a big priority for me, as was making sure that other tax cuts — capital gains, estate tax, and a per-child tax credit — benefitted family-owned and small businesses, and the middle class," Smith said. "I think the tax cut package reflects those priorities."

However, Smith says there are isolated provisions in the package that he does not support. "The airline ticket tax is changed in a way that hurts smaller carriers," he said. "I oppose that, and hope that Congress will revisit the issue."

"But in a deal this size, you can't have everything your way," said Smith. "The overall package is a very good one."