Saxby Chambliss: “I rise today to speak on the bipartisan budget deal that is currently before the Senate. Chairman Ryan and Chairman…”

“I rise today to speak on the bipartisan budget deal that is currently before the Senate. Chairman Ryan and Chairman Murray have shown us true leadership on divisive and complex budget issues. The legislation we have before us today is the embodiment of compromise--something that has, unfortunately, been absent in Washington as of late. They have crafted a bill that sets forth the guidelines for spending for the remainder of this fiscal year and the platform for the next fiscal year. This deal will set overall discretionary spending for the current fiscal year at $1.012 trillion--an amount that is approximately halfway between the Senate budget number and the House budget number. This number is also less than the 2014 spending level set forth in Chairman Ryan's 2011 budget. While the overall spending number is higher than what I would have wanted, the House and Senate Budget Committee chairmen were able to craft a budget deal that produces $23 billion in net deficit reduction. Very honestly, with the deficit we have been running, $23 billion is a mere pittance, and I think all of us who are concerned about the debt and the deficit of this country would like to see that number higher. But more importantly, they have produced a budget that will set in place some fiscally responsible spending policies and give us a way forward.…”