Van Hollen Statement on GOP Budget Process Reform Bills

Statement

Today Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, issued the following statement on the package of budget process reform bills introduced by House Republicans:

"While we look forward to a constructive discussion about the merits of reforming the budget process, I suggest that we start by complying with the existing rules. April 15 was the statutory deadline to pass a final budget conference report -- and yet Speaker Boehner refuses to even appoint conferees to sit down at the table to iron out our differences.

"I've introduced a resolution urging the Speaker to move forward, and 177 of my House Democratic colleagues have cosponsored that bill. Senate Democrats have now asked for unanimous consent to appoint conferees four times but have been denied each time. This obstruction isn't just hypocritical, as Washington Republicans have been demanding regular order on the budget for years and are now preventing it -- it has real consequences. Failure to reach a compromise hurts families, small businesses, and our entire economy. This obstruction must stop if we hope to boost job growth, get our fiscal house in order, and move our nation forward."

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