Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2015

Floor Speech

Mr. Chair, a number of political pundits have asked why House Republicans are advancing a budget this year considering the House and Senate have already agreed upon a top-level budgetary baseline for the upcoming fiscal year. Apparently, Senate Democrats agree with these pundits and have announced that they will not produce a budget. Clearly, these pundits and Senate Democrats have been in Washington for far too long.

The American people did not send us to Congress to look for shortcuts and to find the easy way out. Last year's budget agreement did not magically solve our fiscal challenges, so we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Thankfully, under the leadership of Budget Committee Chairman PAUL RYAN, House Republicans are doing just that. Our budget makes the tough decisions necessary to grow our economy by curbing the growth of federal spending and making critical reforms to our entitlement programs.

Critics of the Republican budget call our spending cuts draconian. On the current path, spending will grow, on average, by 5.2 percent a year over the next decade. Under this budget, spending will grow, on average, by 3.5 percent a year. That's not austerity, that's responsibility.

Our budget does cut $5.1 trillion in spending and balances over the next ten years--without raising taxes. On the other hand, the Democrat's budget raises taxes by $1.8 trillion, increases spending by $740 billion more than current policy, while growing our annual deficit to $637 billion in 2024.

While the differences between our budgetary priorities are clear, it is essential that both sides of the aisle work together and build upon last year's budget agreement. Moving back to regular order of approving a budget and advancing the annual individual appropriations bills is the best form of governance possible. Every year, our federal agencies and programs need to be closely examined so that we can remove any waste, fraud, abuse or inefficiencies.

Mr. Chair, the budget before us is an important step towards establishing a responsible fiscal foundation for the next fiscal year as well as the years to come. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the House Budget Committee and Appropriations Committee in executing the vision and priorities laid out in this budget.

I once again want to thank Chairman Ryan for his thoughtful, dedicated work on this budget, which will be his last as Chairman, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

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