Foster Votes To Cap Spending And Institute PAYGO Rules

Press Release

Foster Votes To Cap Spending And Institute PAYGO Rules

Today, Rep. Bill Foster (IL-14), voted to pass H.R. 2920, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act, and was one of 19 Democrats who voted against his party by supporting a Republican measure (Roll No. 611) that would have capped discretionary spending.

The PAYGO bill, which Foster cosponsored, passed by a bipartisan vote of 265-166. This bill forces Congress to pay for all new policies that reduce revenues or expand spending with savings elsewhere in the budget based on a five and ten year time frame.

"Every day, families in the 14th District make tough economic choices based on what they can currently afford, and it is time for government to make ends meet and make the same hard decisions," said Foster. "For far too long, Congress has allowed runaway spending to increase deficits and our national debt, and I am pleased to support legislation that will begin to restore fiscal responsibility."

Discretionary spending is not subject to PAYGO, and exceptions can be made for emergencies.

If the net effect of all legislation enacted during a session of Congress increased the deficit, there would be an across-the-board reduction in certain mandatory programs, but there is an exemption for designated programs like Social Security, Medicaid and Veterans to ensure that these vital services do not suffer from an interruption of service.

"I voted against the Democratic budget because I was concerned that it does not do enough to reduce the deficit and lay out a plan to pay down the debt, and I am wary of additional legislation that could increase our national debt," said Foster. "By restoring the PAYGO rules that contributed to the balanced budgets and economic success of the 1990s, we will pay for new expenditures as they occur instead of simply increasing our debt - a move that is good for our country and for our economy."

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