Chairman Rogers to the President: Join Us on Spending Cuts

Apr 12, 2011
Press Release

Chairman Rogers to the President: Join Us on Spending Cuts

 
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following the State of the Union address today, House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers responded to the President’s comments on federal spending.
 
The statement by Chairman Rogers follows:
 
“Tonight, the President called for putting politics aside to do what’s right on behalf of the American people. I applaud this sentiment, and agree that bipartisan, common sense solutions are essential to solving the nation’s many financial challenges. 
 
“Everyone – including the President – must be willing to sacrifice to accomplish the common goal of reducing our skyrocketing deficits and debt. Yet, in his speech tonight, the President called for sending more taxpayer dollars into a variety of government programs. The President’s ‘spending freeze’ – which apparently includes holding a handful of government programs at already high funding levels while increasing spending elsewhere – simply goes beyond what our nation’s pocketbook can support.
 
“We are in a national fiscal crisis. We must be serious about getting budgets under control, or we risk continued economic uncertainty. It’s time to put lip-service aside, and start the real, difficult work of cutting government spending and slashing at the entrenched Washington bureaucracy. My committee is crafting legislation right now that will include the largest funding cuts in the history of Congress, going line by line to reduce spending and prioritize programs.
 
“Our message to the President tonight is this: Join with us on our plan for real and responsible spending cuts, help us rein in the nation’s reliance on borrowed spending, and support us in our efforts to get our economy moving and our people back to work. With upcoming Appropriations legislation, the chance to show your support is near, and it will be a clear test of your resolve for a new era of fiscal discipline.”

112th Congress