William Bryan: “as one of the original 22 members of this bipartisan coalition, I support of the Centrist Coalition's 7-year balanced…”

“as one of the original 22 members of this bipartisan coalition, I support of the Centrist Coalition's 7-year balanced budget proposal as a sound, moderate approach to a problem begging for a solution. Mr. President, this balanced budget proposal came about because every member of the bipartisan coalition took it upon themselves to find a solution to the budget impasse that grips this country. During last year's budget cycle, responsible spending decisions were buffeted about by the winds of political rhetoric. This group of Senators is concerned about the future of this country, and about what failure to balance the budget today can do to burden the lives of our children and grandchildren tomorrow. Our coalition considered a number of balanced budget proposals. We looked at the President's budget proposal, the National Governors Association's budget recommendations, and at the House and Senate versions of the budget bill. We included elements of each proposal in our final plan. We took the time to hammer out a bipartisan compromise on every facet of the Federal budget. I believe this plan represents the greatest chance this country has to enact balanced budget legislation. Our burgeoning Federal debt is the greatest crisis facing our Nation today. It is gobbling up our savings, robbing our ability to invest in infrastructure and education, and saddling our children with an enormous bill that will eventually have to be paid.”