Steven Gunderson: “I rise today in support of the Republican Budget Committee alternative. I commend my colleague, John Kasich, for his…”

“I rise today in support of the Republican Budget Committee alternative. I commend my colleague, John Kasich, for his hard work in formulating a comprehensive alternative to the resolution reported by the Budget Committee. In developing this budget, Mr. Kasich went to authorizing committees seeking advice. He sought a plan we could stand behind, instead of resorting to a ``this is what you get'' approach. As a Republican leader on the Education and Labor Committee for work force issues, I sat down with John Kasich to discuss my recommendations to consolidate overlapping and redundant job training programs. I was extremely pleased that many of my ideas were included in this alternative budget. As Republicans, we may not like all, or even most, of the individual cuts. But I can say that we were consulted. This budget's merit is the result of many innovative and creative Republican ideas which, if enacted, will save the taxpayers billions. I support many of the concepts in the Republican alternative. While President Clinton promised a tax cut for middle-class families, many of my constituents called to let me know that they are still waiting. This budget does just that--it contains a $500 per child tax credit, delivering on the President's campaign promise. This is one small step we can take to help families. Furthermore, there is no comparison between the levels of deficit reduction achieved between the Democratic and Republican Budget Committee proposals.”