MEDIA CONTACT:
STEVEN ENGELHARDT (314) 504-4029
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY 9.19.11

STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN WM. LACY CLAY (D) MISSOURI

REGARDING PRESIDENT OBAMA’S DEFICIT REDUCTION AND TAX FAIRNESS PLAN

NOTE: The following, in its entirety, is a first-person statement from Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri

-WASHINGTON, DC –

“This morning President Obama laid out a balanced and fair approach that is good news for average Americans. 

By insisting on tax fairness and shared sacrifice from everyone, his plan cuts spending, reduces waste & fraud and increases revenue…while protecting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. 

The President’s proposal would reduce the debt by $3 trillion over the next ten years.  It cuts two dollars in spending for every one dollar in new investments to create jobs. And it would end tax dodges for big oil and gas companies and hedge fund managers while reducing agricultural subsidies. 

It would also invest the peace dividend generated by ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan right here at home to repair our crumbling infrastructure, create millions of construction jobs, and make America more competitive.

I hope that my Republican colleagues will join me in supporting this balanced and fair approach to reform the tax code, cut the deficit, pay down the debt and make sure that everyone pays their fair share.

The fact is, it’s not fair to reduce the deficit by shifting the burden on the middle class, older Americans, the disabled, and those who can least afford it. 

To grow our economy and create jobs now, we need a balanced approach to deficit reduction.”   

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