Mr. Speaker, today I rise in opposition to the conference report on S. Con. Res. 95, the Republican budget. 

Rhode Islanders are facing challenges on many fronts, and the budget resolution gave us an opportunity to address many of them, including education, health care, and housing shortfalls.  Instead, Republicans chose to continue borrowing money from future generations to pay for their failed fiscal policies that have left the economy more than two million jobs lighter since the beginning of the current Administration.  Under the Republican budget, the obstacles we face today will only grow in the coming years. 

Although I did not believe it possible, the conference report before us today is actually less fiscally responsible than the budget which barely passed this House in March by a razor thin margin of 215-212.  As a member of the Select Committee on Homeland Security and the Armed Services Committee, I understand the unprecedented challenges our nation is facing at home and abroad.  All of us want to ensure that our troops have all the resources needed to protect us and themselves at home and abroad.  Both the physical and economic security of our families are at stake.   Working within this framework, the Republican leadership could have negotiated a bipartisan compromise that both parties could support, but instead continued down an ideological path without reaching out to Democrats.

This budget has too many shortfalls to list, so I will just cite a few of the most egregious problems.  For the first time in more than two decades, the budget conference report fails to specify multi-year policy numbers.  By providing the costs for only a single year of programs and policies, the budget provides no plan to reduce the deficit and no commitment that critical resources for defense, homeland security, education, health care, veterans, and other priorities will be available in future years.  The absence of meaningful numbers beyond the first year masks the true consequences of Republican priorities.

In addition, this budget automatically raises the debt limit by nearly $700 billion, to $8.1 trillion.  There will be no further debate or votes on this crucial issue that affects the pocketbooks of every American.  At a time when the CBO anticipates a budget deficit of more than $400 billion, Congress must make the difficult decisions to return our budget to balance, but the Republicans failed to do so.

Finally, the budget rejects legitimate Pay-As-You-Go enforcement rules to keep the budget deficit in check.  The PAYGO rules would ensure that the government does not increase spending or cut taxes unless these changes would not add to the deficit.  PAYGO rules fueled the unprecedented economic and job growth during the 1990s, but the budget before us chooses irresponsible deficits over fiscal restraint.

Deficit spending has stymied job growth and is plaguing our economy.  We are facing a record deficit with no plan to return the budget to balance.  No Rhode Islander would write a check without sufficient funds to cash that check.  Neither should the government.

I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing the Republican budget and working towards a bipartisan, fiscally responsible plan. 

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.