Asa Hutchinson: “for a lot of us conservatives, the key question we are asking about the balanced budget agreement between Congress and…”

“for a lot of us conservatives, the key question we are asking about the balanced budget agreement between Congress and the President is whether the agreement on the whole represents a step forward or a step backward. Does this bipartisan compromise bring us closer or farther away from our goals to balance the budget, provide tax relief for American families, and reduce the size of government? Mr. Speaker, this is not a decision that I take lightly. I would like to see deeper tax cuts, more substantial entitlement reform, and more reductions in domestic spending. Nonetheless, we should not underestimate the opportunity this budget agreement represents. Unlike past budget agreements that promised to balance the budget, with a Republican Congress, this one actually will. It contains permanent tax cuts, it takes a first step toward entitlement reform, and this represents a step forward. I compliment the budget negotiators and look forward to receiving the details of this plan.”