Van Hollen Co-Sponsors Statutory PAYGO Legislation

Press Release

Today, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Assistant to the Speaker, issued the following statement supporting the President's legislation to implement statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules:

"I commend both President Obama and Majority Leader Hoyer for putting forth this important legislative initiative, as well as the Blue Dog Coalition for their commitment on this issue. Pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules are part of the plan put forward by President Obama and Congress to finally restore fiscal responsibility after years of reckless spending.

"President Clinton left office with an $800 billion surplus, and Americans are now saddled with a $1.2 trillion deficit. Analysis shows that the historic $2 trillion swing from surplus to deficit can be attributed to the irresponsible fiscal policies of the previous Administration (LINK). Clearly, the old way of doing things didn't work, drove our economy into a ditch, and saddled us with debt as far as the eye can see.

"I hope our Republican colleagues will join us in supporting this fiscally responsible measure. As we work to get our economy back on track, we must also ensure that we do not leave future generations to pay for past mistakes."

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