Jim Matheson: “later on today, the House is going to vote on a budget reconciliation package and, from what we are hearing, up is down…”

“later on today, the House is going to vote on a budget reconciliation package and, from what we are hearing, up is down and down is up. We are supposed to be here to be lowering the deficit. I am concerned about the deficit. We should not be burdening future generations with our consumption today. Yet the package being put forth today by the majority, the package of spending cuts, but also tax cuts, is going to end up with an increase in our deficit of $16 billion. That is not right. Look, deficit reduction is hard to do. It requires some tough choices. The only way, in my opinion, that this Congress is going to take on those tough choices is if we put in a set of rules that force us to do it. The Blue Dog Democrats have a 12-point plan that will put those provisions in place: a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, real pay-as-you-go rules. Those are just two of the 12 provisions that would require this Congress to come together and make those very tough decisions; and they will be tough, let us not deny it. Mr. Speaker, if we want to show fiscal responsibility, if we want to do right by future generations, we will come together in a bipartisan way. That is not what is happening today. It is very unfortunate. I encourage my colleagues to vote down this package today. ____________________”