For Immediate Release
February 4, 2008 |
Contact: Steve Ellis
202-546-8500 x126 |
TCS STATEMENT ON THE PRESIDENT'S FY2009 BUDGET
Written Statement by Ms. Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense on the release of the President’s FY2009 budget request.
Washington, DC - Today’s release of the FY 2009 federal budget is historic: it is the first budget to crack the $3 trillion mark. That’s trillion with a “T.” To put it in perspective the FY2002 budget was just under $2 trillion and the then-projected FY2009 budget was $2.5 trillion. It’s not surprising that the FY09 budget also heralds the return of deficit numbers that we haven’t seen since 2004. The deficit is predicted to be $407 billion in FY09.
After reviewing the budget today, the fiscal challenges facing the nation are sobering. The next occupant of the oval office will be staring down booming non-discretionary programs, exploding defense and security budgets and entrenched special interests keen on preserving the status quo. To achieve balanced budgets by 2012 will be a daunting and virtually unattainable task.
This administration would be in much better fiscal shape if they followed the advice of the old bank robber Willie Sutton. When asked why he robbed banks, Sutton replied “because that’s where the money is.” Well, if you want to take on runaway spending, you have to cut the fat out of the defense bill which gets $515.4 billion, more than half of all discretionary spending. This isn’t about not funding our men and women in harm’s way. This is about cutting wasteful weapons programs like the F-22 and reining in special interest spending fueled by earmarks in the research, development, testing and evaluation accounts. The way to responsibly fund the Pentagon is to pursue addition by subtraction – generate more money for critical programs by cutting wasteful spending.
Congress needs to take a bite out of the President’s budget if they ever seriously want to achieve a balanced budget. That means pushing for constraint in the areas driving discretionary spending growth – defense and homeland security, shutting down popular but unnecessary or underperforming programs and creatively developing future solutions on Medicare, Social Security and tax reform. Congress can take the opportunity of a lame duck President and hotly contested election to develop real solutions for the 111th Congress.
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