Congressman Adam Smith (D-Tacoma) made the following statement concerning the Budget Reconciliation:

“Today, the Republican majority, once again, forced critically important legislation through the House with no bi-partisan support and by a vote of 217-215.  In order to offset anticipated tax cuts of over $100 billion, the House Reconciliation bill cuts an estimated $50 billion over five years from vital services like Medicaid, food stamps, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs which directly help disadvantaged Americans. While I strongly believe in fiscal discipline, we should not balance the budget on the backs of those Americans that need help the most, while giving the most affluent in our country additional tax breaks.  This simply is not consistent with the priorities and values of the American people. 

 It is truly disturbing that the Republican leadership thinks it is a good idea to increase the federal debt and slash funds to important programs and initiatives crucial to the most vulnerable in our society.  Astonishingly, when combined with the proposed new tax cuts, the Republican budget policies could increase the deficit by $100 billion.  The majority’s claims that this measure will help balance the budget are hypocritical at best.  This is reckless spending from a party that once claimed to believe in fiscal responsibility, and it comes at a time when the national debt exceeds $8 trillion and the annual cost of interest on the debt has increased to over $300 billion a year.

I will continue to work with my colleagues, from both sides of the aisle, to craft legislation that seeks to balance our budget, while also maintaining access to health care and education for all Americans.  Together, America can do better than a deficit reduction bill that fails to live up to the values of America’s working families.”