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from Rep. Stephanie Herseth HERSETH SUPPORTS PAY-AS-YOU-GO BUDGET Fiscally Responsible Budget Resolution Passes House; Puts Nation Back on Track to Fiscal Health Budget Reflects Blue Dog Priorities – Reverses Trend of Skyrocketing Deficits March 29, 2007, Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth today voted to help pass a fiscally responsible Budget Resolution that will put the country back on a track to fiscal health. The Resolution adheres to strict pay-as-you-go rules that require any increased spending or decreased revenue to be offset and deficit-neutral. Herseth, a leader in the Blue Dog Coalition, worked to ensure the Resolution contained key provisions that reflect the priorities of that moderate, fiscally-responsible group. Herseth said, “Over the past several years, the budgets considered by Congress have included hundreds of billions of dollars in new mandatory spending, and deficits exploded as a result. This Budget Resolution reverses these trends by returning fiscal responsibility to Congress. We simply cannot continue to mortgage our nation’s future and pass on trillions in debt to the next generation.” The Budget Resolution puts our country on a path to reach a balanced budget by 2012 while allowing for modest investments in important national priorities like veterans’ health care, homeland security, and education. And at a time of war, the Budget Resolution meets the President’s funding request for national defense and increases homeland security funding levels. The budget increases funding for veterans’ health care by $5.4 billion, and has earned the endorsement of a host of veterans organizations including the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and Veterans of Foreign Wars. This increased level of funding will help address many important priorities including veterans’ mental health, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury. The Budget Resolution also provides for middle-class tax relief including a long-term fix of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and calls for the extension of the child tax credit, marriage penalty relief, the 10-percent individual income tax bracket, the deduction for state and local sales taxes, and reform of the estate tax. Lastly, the Budget Resolution includes strong program integrity initiatives to crack down on wasteful government spending and ensure accountability. Herseth added, “Blue Dogs have had a key influence on this Budget Resolution and our priorities are clearly reflected, including a commitment to pay-as-you-go and spending restraint, a strong national defense, accountable government, and tax relief that will allow the middle class to continue to grow.” # # #
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