Friday, April 03, 2009

Giffords Backs Budget to Open Floodgates for More Washington Taxing and Spending


Vote Signals Support for President’s Proposal to Tax Struggling Families and Continue Out-of-Control Spending Spree


Washington- Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) failed to be upfront with her constituents today when she supported a budget proposal that omits major details about how Congress intends to raise the money to support their new Washington spending. This budget not only leaves open the threat for higher taxes, but also leaves an unsettling feeling for how their hard-earned tax dollars will be spent (House Roll Call 192). The Democrat budget that was passed today gives the President an imperious green light to move forward with some of his most controversial tax-and-spend proposals:



“Democrats controlling the House and Senate are on track to
give President Barack Obama a key victory by adopting slightly pared-back versions of his $3.6 trillion budget.” (Associated Press, 4/2/09)

Gabby Giffords and Democrat leaders broke their promise to usher in a new era of accountability and not pile “trillions of dollars of debt onto our children and grandchildren”:


“Our federal budget should be a statement of our national values. One of those values is responsibility.” (Nancy Pelosi’s “A New Direction,” page 25)


While the budget that Giffords voted for today provides little guidance about how American tax dollars will be spent, it does clearly signal where Giffords' “values” and priorities are. This budget demonstrates that Giffords and her fellow Democrats were more than willing to lay the groundwork to let the President move forward with his tax-and-spend agenda that will:Spend too much:

“Obama proposed a $3.55 trillion blueprint today…Obama also is seeking a vast expansion of domestic programs…” (Shailagh Murray, “Republicans Attack Obama Budget, Call It Loaded With Spending, Washington Post, 2/26/09)

“…the administration will propose boosting the budget deficit by an additional $250 billion this year — to the record $1.75 trillion — enough to support as much as $750 billion more in spending under the government's rescue program for financial institutions.” (Ben Feller,
“Obama: Budget Keeps Promise To American People,” Associated Press, 2/26/09) Tax too much:

“His proposed budget includes $353.5 billion of tax
increases for U.S. businesses. Many investors face a tripling of taxes. Other proposed policies would further increase the cost of doing business, such as ‘green’ mandates.” (Jim Powell, CATO Institute, “How Obama's Soak-The-Rich Plan Will End Up Hurting Middle Class,” Real Clear Politics, 3/5/09)
“President Obama's budget proposes $989 billion in new taxes over the course of the next 10 years, starting fiscal year 2011, most of which are tax increases on individuals.” (Jake Tapper, “Obama's Budget: Almost $1 Trillion In New Taxes Over Next 10 Yrs, Starting 2011,” ABC News, 2/26/09) Borrow too much:

“The latest breaking point came last week, when the Congressional Budget Office released new estimates indicating that the accumulated 10-year deficits under the president’s budget could be as much as $9.27 trillion — $2.3 trillion higher than the White House had predicted.” (David Rogers, “Budget battle rife with contradictions,” Politico, 3/26/09)
“President Obama’s new budget blueprint estimates a stunning deficit of $1.75 trillion for the current fiscal year, which began five months ago, then lays out a wrenching change of course as he seeks to finance his own priorities while stanching the flow of red ink.” (Jackie Calmes and Robert Pear, “Obama Plans Major Shifts In Spending,” New York Times, 2/26/09)
“Gabby Giffords and her fellow Democrats have thrown their promise of accountability and transparency out the window with this reckless budget,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “Gabby Giffords is shirking her responsibility as a Member of Congress by supporting a vague budget that will do nothing more than open the door to controversial tax-and-spend policies and overburden the pockets of American families for generations to come.”

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