03.23.13

Hoeven Statement on the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Resolution that Passed on A Party-Line Vote Today

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven issued the following statement regarding his vote on the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Resolution, which passed along party lines in the U.S. Senate early this morning:

“This morning, I voted against a budget plan offered in the U.S. Senate that raises taxes by more than $1 trillion and never balances.

“To effectively address our deficit and debt will require a budget that takes a pro-growth approach to our economy, reduces our spending in a careful way, and reforms, preserves and protects entitlement programs for this and future generations of Americans.

“A strong budget promotes economic growth. When the economy grows, more people have jobs. That broadens our tax base and revenues increase for local, state and federal governments – without raising taxes.

“To grow the economy the right way, we need a budget with that kind of pro-growth approach. That means reducing legal and regulatory obstacles to business expansion and hiring, and also reforming our tax code to attract private-sector investment, which produces sustainable jobs.

“In addition to a budget that encourages growth in our economy, we need a budget that continues to find thoughtful savings. As the governor of North Dakota for ten years, that is what we did when our spending was projected to exceed our revenues. Every governor in America has to make those difficult decisions, and so should the president and we in Congress.

“Finally, we need a budget with a thoughtful plan to preserve, protect and reform Medicare and Social Security so that these important safety-net programs are there for our children and grandchildren.”