Washington, D.C. -  After years of red ink and misplaced priorities, today the House of Representatives set our nation back on the right track with the adoption of its fiscal year (FY) 2008 budget resolution.

The fiscal failures of the Bush Administration and former Republican congressional leadership have been unprecedented, turning a $5.6 trillion surplus into a $2.8 trillion deficit and repeatedly slashing vital domestic priorities to pay for tax cuts and a war of choice in Iraq. The budget we have adopted today reverses this dangerous course and makes good on the House Democrats’ commitment to rein in the deficit and invest in our nation’s future.

In stark contrast to the budgets of the last few years, the House FY 2008 budget is both fiscally and morally responsible. It would balance the budget within the next five years by adhering strictly to pay-as-you-go budgeting rules, ramping up efforts to close the tax gap, and calling for tougher measures to rein in fraud and abuse at federal agencies. More importantly, it increases our investment in a broad range of priorities that have been abused or neglected for too long under this Administration, such as the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), education programs from Head Start to Pell Grants, and support for state and local first responders. It also takes major steps to provide for the health and well-being of our veterans and service members returning from war, and has received the endorsement of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans. As I have said on many occasions, the federal budget is a reflection of our fundamental values as a nation, and on this measure, we are finally doing right by the American people.

Despite these improvements, this budget is not a panacea. The fiscal hole that we are currently in is far too deep to climb out of in just one year. But this spending blueprint is a significant down-payment on America’s future that balances fiscal discipline with support for critical domestic priorities. I look forward to helping implement it as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.