Roy Cooper: “I think most folks back home want us to get along with each other in order to strengthen our Nation. Well, how can we…”

“I think most folks back home want us to get along with each other in order to strengthen our Nation. Well, how can we best do that, especially at a time of contentious budget reconciliation? There is a simple proposal called PAYGO that is not theory; it has worked incredibly well. It worked from the year 1990 to the year 2002 when our friends on the other side of the aisle allowed it to expire. How well did it work? Well, Alan Greenspan, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, said it is the single most important thing we can do to right our fiscal ship. Pay-as-you-go means that if you want to spend more money, you have to find offsetting cuts somewhere before you can think about spending the new money. And it also means if you want to offer someone a tax cut, that is fine. Just figure out a way to pay for it. It is a simple and clear rule, and it guided our Nation into prosperity from 1990 to 2002. Why can we not readopt that? It has proven to work and work well for all Americans and to strengthen our Nation. The Blue Dog Coalition has been more consistent in its support for the PAYGO provisions than any other group in Congress. Support PAYGO. ____________________”