Washington, DC -- U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-13th-IL) today issued the following statement regarding the Path to Prosperity, the House GOP budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2013, which cuts $5.3 trillion in spending over the next decade compared to the President’s budget:

            “This isn’t a philosophical or partisan debate.  It’s a mathematical certainty.  The debt is now larger than the entire U.S. economy, and it’s draining our economy of confidence, capital, and jobs.  My constituents don’t want to follow the path of Greece.

           “This budget takes responsible steps now to pull us off the path of ever-higher debt and spending.  And it provides relief to taxpayers, giving American businesses the certainty and stability they need to create jobs again.  It doesn’t cut revenues, but it simplifies the tax code and eliminates the AMT, a growing threat to middle-class families.  These are reforms with bipartisan support that can grow our economy now.    

            “I like that this budget preserves Medicare and Social Security for the next generation of seniors without altering the carefully-laid retirement plans of current seniors.  And for those a decade or more from retirement, it expands on traditional health care choices to harness the power of competition, drive down costs, and improve care.  Under the President’s health plan, Medicare was cut by $500 billion, and under the Administration’s budget, an unelected board would cut Medicare even further with no accountability to seniors.  The GOP budget preserves the integrity of our seniors’ safety nets without sacrificing fiscal accountability.

            “Most importantly, this budget plan provides Americans with a real choice.  The President’s proposal would allow the debt to keep growing and taxes to jump by another $1.5 trillion.  The GOP budget would bring spending down to historically sustainable levels of about 20 percent of the gross domestic product – the post-WWII average.  It’s time to chart a new course that creates jobs and preserves the financial security of future generations.  And I stand ready to work with those on both sides of the aisle to do just that.”

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