Van Hollen Statement on the President's Budget

Statement

Today Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, released the following statement on President Obama's budget proposal:

"The debate over our budget is a debate about our nation's values and priorities. The President's budget is one that values hard work and prioritizes investments that will create jobs and make our nation stronger.

"Americans deserve a budget that tackles the challenge of our time, which is building an economy that creates prosperity and opportunity for all -- not just those already at the top. That means growing our economy, investing in better schools for our kids, and ensuring that the United States remains competitive in the 21st century global economy. The President's proposal makes important progress on all of those fronts.

"Our budget debate should be an open exchange of ideas to move our country forward. Unfortunately, Republicans have decided to break longstanding, bipartisan tradition by refusing to allow the President to present his budget to the House Budget Committee, abdicating our responsibility to the American people. Once again, Republicans have relinquished control of this Congress to the Tea Party and those pushing their extreme ideological agenda. We will stand firm against their efforts to slash the social safety net, threaten retirement security, and protect tax loopholes for the ultra wealthy at the expense of working families. I urge them to reconsider their decision to snub the President and rob the American people of a fair debate."

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