back May 18, 2006 House Passes Disciplined Budget Resolution  Agreement Reached on Reforms of Congressional Budget Process – Including Ryan’s Legislative Line-item Veto Proposal WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R.-Wis.) voted in support of the Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Resolution, which passed the House of Representatives today by a vote of 218-210.  This broad budget blueprint sets the overall spending cap for regular appropriations bills at $873 billion (equal to the President’s budget), restrains non-security discretionary spending, and calls for further progress to slow the pace of growth in government spending on entitlements.  This spending cap is $16 billion lower than the spending provided for by the Senate Budget Resolution.  In negotiations leading up to passage of the House Budget Resolution, Ryan and other proponents of reforming the congressional budget process secured a commitment from House leadership that the House would act on key reform proposals to instill greater fiscal discipline.  Specifically, this budget resolution establishes for the first time ever a “rainy day” fund to better budget for emergencies.  If emergency spending exceeds this reserve, it requires the Budget Committee to vote on whether to increase budget limits.  The bill also narrowly defines emergencies so Congress cannot add miscellaneous pork to emergency spending bills.  In addition, the House is committed to voting this summer on Ryan’s legislative line-item veto bill, as well as a bill to establish a sunset commission to reduce wasteful government spending.  Moreover, earmark reform measures that passed the House earlier this month as part of lobbying accountability legislation were another part of this drive to reform the budget process to ensure greater transparency and help restrain unnecessary spending.  “This budget resolution puts a much-needed cap on this year’s spending bills.  It’s clear the Senate wants to spend more money, and this Budget Resolution will help us keep spending down.  Without this resolution, there would have been no cap on spending, making it nearly impossible to enforce fiscal restraint as Congress considers its annual spending bills.  Together with the budget reforms that we are pushing, this resolution is a vital tool to help us keep spending under control,” Ryan said. “By keeping both taxes and spending down, we can reduce the deficit and balance the budget.”        The budget resolution is shaped by several priorities:  keeping the economy growing and creating jobs, maintaining a strong national defense and providing what is needed to support our troops, controlling government spending, and beginning to reform the budget process itself to instill greater fiscal discipline and provide more accurate budgeting.   Among its provisions, the budget resolution: Nearly freezes non-security discretionary spending.  Allows increases in defense and homeland security to provide what is needed to support our troops and keep our nation’s defenses strong. Also continues to set aside a $50 billion reserve for war costs. Includes $6.8 billion in savings in mandatory (entitlement) spending over five years, calling for common-sense reforms to slow the growth of government spending on entitlements. This spending operates on auto-pilot and is growing faster than our economy, faster than inflation, and faster than our means to sustain it.  Establishes a new “rainy day” fund to better budget for natural disasters. If emergency spending on natural disasters exceeds this emergency reserve, the Budget Committee would be required to vote on whether to increase budget limits. This provision is part of a series of budget process reforms. In keeping with an agreement reached on the budget resolution, other key reform proposals will be voted on in the coming weeks and months, including Rep. Ryan’s line-item veto legislation to reduce wasteful spending and improve accountability and transparency in Congress.  Print Contact: Kate Matus (202) 226-7326