Washington , D.C. – Prepared Statement of Aileen Roder, Program Director, Taxpayers for Common Sense:

Let me be clear – I do not like deficits. I do not want deficits. I will not pretend that deficits don't matter. Congressman Jim Nussle, chairman of the House Budget Committee said this earlier this year and we can't agree more. We have entered an era of big budget deficits for as far as the eye can see. Sugarplum dreams of budget surpluses have turned into trillion dollar deficit nightmares.

The Green Scissors Coalition is here today to take on the special interests who come to Washington with their hands out asking taxpayers to pay companies to waste our tax dollars and pollute our environment. It is now time to get our fiscal house in order.

Our coalition is presenting Congress with a practical roadmap to begin exercising fiscal discipline, the question remains whether lawmakers will stop to ask for directions. Green Scissors 2003 outlines 68 ways in which Congress can act decisively to reach the vital goal of cutting wasteful spending.

Let's not spend limited tax dollars on projects that pollute the environment, thereby forcing us to spend even more money to clean up the polluters' mess. From large energy industries to big timber companies, these special interests try to take natural resources from our public lands without a proper return to the public. Timber companies alone are expected to receive $1.9 billion in taxpayer subsidies for road construction, sales, and the Forest Service salvage fund. Common sense often gets lost in the crowd of special interests begging Congress for taxpayer-funded subsidies.

With the country facing the worse deficits in history, politicians need to dam the river of red ink. We must act now. By exercising fiscal discipline, Congress can reverse course and get the country back on the road to a balanced budget.

Some may say our proposed cuts of $58 billion are just a drop in the bucket, but the more we delay, the larger the bucket gets. Budget deficits do matter and the longer we wait, the more those deficits will impact our economy, fiscal health of our nation, and the environment.