Congressman Charles Bass

July 29, 2011

WASHINGTON – Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) issued the following statement this evening after the House of Representatives passed the Budget Control Act. The legislation will reduce discretionary spending by $1.2 trillion over 10 years; form a joint, bipartisan committee to make recommendations on deficit-cutting measures; raise the debt ceiling by $900 billion, of which $400 billion is available immediately and the rest is subject to a vote of disapproval; and require the House and Senate to pass a balanced budget amendment before the second debt limit increase occurs.

Bass said:

"For the last several years, our national debt has exploded. Our economy has remained stagnant. And the out-of-control spending that continues to plague Washington has created uncertainty and instability in the economy. Washington is not only broken, it's broke.

"The plan that Congress passed this evening takes the first steps to reforming Washington's bad habits. The plan avoids default by raising the debt ceiling in a responsible way: it makes serious cuts in federal spending, caps it for the next decade, and allows for Congress to have a real debate about enacting a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

"In addition, the bill creates a joint, bipartisan committee to make recommendations on deficit-reduction measures by the end of the year, an idea I have always strongly supported. This is loosely based on a joint committee that Congress enacted once before to pay for World War II by cutting spending and eliminating unnecessary Depression-era programs instead of raising taxes on American families. Our nation was in a spending crisis then and we're in a similar situation now, and it's time Congress turns to tried-and-true methods to get our spending under control.

"This debate has proven that we have to be responsible for our choices. It's not fair to take money from our children and grandchildren to pay for our reckless spending today. I strongly urge the Senate to pass this conscientious, fiscally-responsible bill so we can get our economy back on track and focus on living within our means."

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