WALLY HERGER: “although I support the Kasich alternative rather than the alternative offered by the gentleman from Maryland, I want to…”

“although I support the Kasich alternative rather than the alternative offered by the gentleman from Maryland, I want to commend the gentleman from Maryland for drafting a budget which not only reflects their priorities but which also shows how they would pay for them. That is exactly what the Republican Kasich alternative does as well. Unfortunately, that is not what the President did in his budget, and that is not what we find in the committee's resolution. The Republican alternative includes welfare reform. It includes a tough anticrime bill. It includes reasonable health care reforms. It includes incentives to generate job-creating economic growth. It also eliminates one-third of last year's tax increase and returns the money to families through a $500 per child tax credit. The Republican alternative does all this, pays for it, and yet results in an additional $152 billion more in deficit reduction during the next 5 years than the President's budget. The budget crafted by the Democratic majority does not stand up in comparison with either our alternative or the alternative offered by the gentleman from Maryland because it does not contain funding for many items the President has said are his priorities.”