“Our nation’s debt has reached an $8 trillion dollar milestone.  If every single person in America wrote a check to pay off the national debt, including babies born today, each check would be written to the tune of $27,000,” said Ross. “It is hard to believe that we had a balanced budget from 1998 to 2001, because now this administration, this Republican Congress, has given us the largest budget deficit ever in our nation's history for a fifth year in a row.  This unprecedented and continually mounting debt is demonstrative of fiscal irresponsibility at its finest, and we absolutely must restore fiscal discipline and common sense to our nation’s government and its budget.”  

“Our nation spends about $500 million each day simply paying the interest on the national debt.  This same money could be invested in jobs, education, healthcare, and our road needs across Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District,” Ross continued.  “As our national debt continues to climb, fewer opportunities will be available to cut taxes for our working families and fund programs important to our children and seniors.  American families strive each and every month to live on a balanced budget at home, and I don’t think it’s asking too much to hold the government to these same standards.”

Earlier this year, Ross and the Blue Dog Coalition offered a ‘12-Step Plan’ that would cure our nation’s addiction to deficit spending that required, among other things, that all federal agencies pass clean audits, a balanced budget, and the setting aside of a rainy day fund to be used in the event of a natural disaster. 

1.        Require a balanced budget.

• Adopt a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget every year except in times of war or national emergency.   
  
  
• Require three-fifths vote of both the House and Senate to increase the debt limit or to waive the balanced budget requirement.
   
• A Budget Amendment protects Social Security from benefit cuts and forbids increases in Social Security payroll taxes in order to balance the budget.  

2.       Don’t let Congress buy on credit.

• Irresponsible spending has caused the budget deficit to soar to a record $413 billion in 2004.  
  
  
• Restore PAYGO (pay-as-you-go). 

3.       Put a lid on spending.

• From 2001 to 2003, total government spending soared by 16 percent. 
  
  
• Blue Dogs propose holding the line on discretionary spending for the next three fiscal years at 2.1%--the percentage increase proposed this year in the President’s fiscal 2006 budget.  

• GAO: 16 of 23 major federal agencies can’t issue a simple audit of their books.  The federal government can’t account for $24.5 billion it spent in 2003.
  
  
• Blue Dogs propose a budget freeze for any federal agency that can’t properly balance its books.  

 5.   Make Congress tell taxpayers how much they’re spending. 

• Any bill calling for more than $50 million in new spending must be put to a roll call vote.     

     7.       Don’t hide votes to raise the debt limit.

• Current House rules allow for automatic increases in the debt limit if Congress passes a budget resolution that increases the public debt.  
  
  
• Blue Dogs propose to change the current rules so that every increase in the public debt limit must be subject to a roll call vote.  

8.       Justify spending for pet projects. 

9.      Ensure that Congress reads the bills it’s voting on.

• Recently some of the largest spending bills in American history have been voted on after only a few hours of consideration.  Example: Medicare Bill.  

• Blue Dogs propose that members of Congress should be given a minimum of three-days to have the final text of legislation made available to them before there is a vote.  

11.   Make sure new bills fit the budget.

• Propose that the Budget Committee strengthen its oversight role by preparing budget compliance statements for every bill that is reported out of committee for consideration by the full Congress.   

12.   Make Congress do a better job of keeping tabs on government programs.

• Propose that each committee be required to submit reports at least twice a year, available to the public, that provide an update on how each committee is fulfilling its oversight duties.  

“The Blue Dog ‘12-Step Plan’ sets forth sensible objectives such as supporting a constitutional amendment that would require a balanced budget every year, establishing "paygo" standards -- meaning any new spending must be paid for by cuts in other programs or by new revenues -- and justifying spending for pet projects,” said Ross. “Our budget plan has received tremendous praise from many non-partisan watchdog groups across the country, and I can only hope this focus will eventually have an impact on the way the majority in Congress chooses to address our nation's budget needs.”