Political Quotes

“So Mr. President, resuming my remarks, Paul Ryan, the author of that blueprint, called it the path to prosperity. It may be a path to austerity, but it is hardly a path to prosperity. Nonetheless, with the negotiations finished just days ago on last year's budget, Congressman Ryan has succeeded in jump-starting the debate about next year's. The President himself will join this conversation about how to do long-term deficit reduction in a major address tomorrow at GWU--George Washington University. This is a debate we must have, and the President's entrance into it comes not a moment too soon. It will make for a powerful contrast with the Republicans' plan. The contrast we will hear from our President tomorrow will likely not be in the commitment to deficit reduction. Paul Ryan's goal in his budget is to trim the deficit by $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years. He does not succeed in meeting this target, according to CBO. In fact, budget experts say his proposal only achieves $155 billion in net deficit reduction. But the number itself is not the issue. Without a doubt, we must be ambitious in setting a target for deficit reduction. We cannot be gun-shy about achieving fiscal discipline. So, no, the contrast will not be in how much we seek to reduce the deficit, it will be in how we go about doing so. The Republicans would like the looming debate to be one about numbers, but, instead, it will be about priorities. The Ryan budget has all the wrong priorities.…”