Statement on Opposing Republican Games that Jeopardize the Economy

Statement

"I strongly oppose and, today, voted against a Republican budget plan put forth solely for partisan and theatrical purposes. Like thousands of Wisconsinites who've contacted me, I'm angry about these political games. House Republicans already know their plan is unacceptable to a majority of the American people and will not pass the Senate. A deal to pare the deficit and pay our bills must be about shared sacrifice - not just cuts that harm middle-class Wisconsinites.

I agree with President Obama that we must take a balanced approach that creates jobs, brings down the deficit, and protects the middle class. I have supported proposals in Congress that would eliminate the deficit by 2021 without destroying Medicare and Medicaid, or threatening Social Security. The Republican plan includes cuts that threaten Medicare and Social Security benefits; yet Republicans have ruled out reducing the deficit by refusing to eliminate even a dime of special interest tax breaks.

They refuse to close loopholes that benefit Big Oil and encourage American companies to ship jobs overseas. They refuse to eliminate a tax cut for millionaires and billionaires that, even many of them say, they don't need and don't deserve. Instead, Republicans lay the entire burden of reducing our deficit squarely on the shoulders of hard-working, middle class Americans. This is not shared sacrifice.

By targeting the true drivers of our deficits in the next decade - the Bush tax cuts, the wars overseas, and the effects of the recent recession - we can stabilize the debt, put Wisconsinites back to work, and restore our economic competitiveness. And we can bolster the middle class that is the backbone of our economy and rekindle the American Dream.

I call on my Republican colleagues to come together, stop the political games, and pass a balanced and bipartisan plan to pay our bills. We need to address the real crisis facing middle class Americans by creating more jobs."

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