Familiar battle lines reformed swiftly on Monday between key House Republicans and Democrats as to whether President Obama’s proposed budget embraces the right approaches to deficit reduction, spending and entitlement reforms, and revenues.
“At a time when millions of Americans are out of work, the president has proposed a $1.5 trillion tax increase – beginning next year,” complained Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in a statement. “The plan makes no effort to pull back on the policies, such as the president’s health care law, that are making it harder for small businesses to grow their companies and hire more workers.”
Boehner added: “The budget also does nothing to protect and preserve important safety net programs for America’s seniors. The greatest threat to Americans’ retirement security is the status quo, and the president has offered seniors nothing more with this budget. A tidal wave of debt is cresting over important programs like Medicare, and the president continues to look the other way.” Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R- Ky., also said President Obama’s budget proposal lacks substantive reform proposals for mandatory and entitlement spending.
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