On the recordApril 10, 2014
Thank you, Chairman Ryan. As a businessowner of 42 years, I know what it means to meet the bottom line and live within my means, both in my business and in my family. Unfortunately, America hasn't lived within its means for years, and we are nearing the tipping point. But President Obama and the Democrats in Congress want to push us nearer to the edge rather than rein us back in by spending money we just don't have and growing government with massive, government-run programs like ObamaCare. The government already takes enough money from the hands of hardworking Americans--and that is not the problem. The problem is spending. Mr. Van Hollen's plan does nothing to address the real problem. It makes it worse. We need a budget that shrinks the size of government, reins in out-of-control spending, and prevents tax dollars from being subject to waste, fraud, and abuse. The Van Hollen plan raises taxes by $1.8 trillion, and when compared to the Republican budget authored by Chairman Ryan, it spends nearly $6 trillion more, adds more than $4 trillion to the national debt, and it never, never balances. The budget is a disaster that doesn't reflect the direction this Nation needs to go, nor does it reflect what the American people want or need. We need a responsible plan. That is why I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this substitute.
