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Feingold
Discusses "PAYGO" Effort To Restore Fiscal Responsibility
At Local Listening Sessions
Feingold Continues Promise to Hold a Listening Session
in Every Wisconsin County Every Year
April 4, 2005
Howards Grove, WI - U.S. Senator Russ Feingold today discussed
his effort to restore fiscal discipline by reinstituting "PAYGO"
or Pay-As-You-Go rules that worked to balance the budget during the
1990's. Feingold and Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) introduced PAYGO
as an amendment to the 2006 budget resolution last week. However, the
final vote in the Senate ended in a tie, meaning that the amendment
did not pass. Feingold and Chafee will continue their effort later this
year by introducing PAYGO as a stand-alone bill.
"PAYGO simply makes us find ways to pay for the things we want,
rather than pushing the costs of the government's fiscal recklessness
onto the shoulders of our children and grandchildren," Feingold
said. "During the 1990s, we balanced the budget under the PAYGO
rule and it only makes sense, especially as we face mounting debt, to
go back to the system that worked for us before."
The Feingold-Chafee effort would force Congress to find offsets to pay
for new tax cuts or new spending on entitlement programs. If offsets
for spending or tax cuts were not included, proposals would be subject
to a budget point of order. In the Senate, that would mean such proposals
would need a 60-vote majority for them to pass. The PAYGO amendment
succeeded in the Senate last Congress. Congressional leaders' decision
not to include the spending rule in the final version of the proposed
budget resulted in no budget being passed last year.
"The congressional leadership and the White House have become openly
hostile to responsible tax cuts that are paid for, and openly hostile
to balancing the budget," Feingold said. "My amendment didn't
ask Congress to do anything more than most American families do every
day-- balance the checkbook, pay the bills and live within their means.
It's a sad moment when the Congress says to the American people, 'the
values that guide your kitchen table discussions aren't good enough
for us.' I look forward to working with Senator Chafee, and the bipartisan
coalition we have put together, toward instituting tough budget rules
later this year."
Feingold’s 18th Listening Session of 2005, and 882nd since he
was first elected took place in Sheboygan County at the Howards Grove
Village Hall, beginning at 8:30 am. He held his 19th session of 2005
and 883rd since he was first elected, at the Valders Community Center
in Manitowoc County, beginning at 11:00 am. This is Feingold’s
13th year of holding these open Listening Sessions in every Wisconsin
county, every year.
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