Mark Kirk: “as Congress moves toward passing the fiscal year (FY) 2006 budget, I would like to address my thoughts and concerns on…”

“as Congress moves toward passing the fiscal year (FY) 2006 budget, I would like to address my thoughts and concerns on two aspects of this proposal. First, this budget will reduce the deficit. The resolution caps discretionary spending at $843 billion and cuts the deficit in half over the next 5 years. We will reach our deficit reduction goals through a combination of policies that encourage economic growth and fiscal discipline that slows the growth of mandatory spending by 0.1 percent over five years. Without this restraint, the federal deficit would continue to grow. I am very disappointed with one aspect of the budget agreement. The original House passed budget did not include language to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for oil and gas exploration, while the Senate's budget did. The Concurrent Budget Resolution deleted the Senate language. Several weeks ago we debated the Energy Bill (H.R. 6). On April 20, 2005, the House considered the Markey amendment that would have protected ANWR from oil and gas drilling. I voted for the Markey amendment to protect the wilderness. When the amendment failed, I voted against the House Energy Bill. I will continue to oppose proposals to open the Refuge to drilling. This Budget Resolution includes reconciliation instructions for the House Resources Committee to find $2.4 billion in savings from programs under their jurisdiction. The Resources Committee should find savings from programs outside the ANWR.…”