Press Release

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Price Elected Chairman of House Budget Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tom Price, M.D. (GA-06) issued the following statement after being elected to serve as Chairman of the House Budget Committee for the 114^th Congress:

“It is an honor to be chosen to serve as the next Chairman of the House Budget Committee. I look forward to working with members of the committee, our House Republican Conference and our colleagues across the aisle to help put our nation on a stronger economic and fiscal footing.

“In years past, the House Budget Committee along with the House of Representatives as a whole have drafted, debated and adopted bold budgets that have staked out a path to greater American prosperity. In the next Congress, we will build upon that success. We will put forward a budget that restores balance to the nation’s books. It will provide a blueprint for how to save and strengthen vital health and retirement programs while ensuring needed resources for those who protect and defend our great nation. Key to accomplishing real results will be to use budgetary processes at our disposal to move meaningful legislation through the House and Senate and to the president’s desk for his consideration. This can and must be done in a transparent manner with consultation and input from members across different committees of jurisdiction and Congress at large.

“Unique to our committee will be a continued commitment to the review and reform of the Congressional budget process. Congress budgets and assesses the fiscal and economic impact of policies using a 40-year old framework in which the default is to spend more, not less. The current Congressional Budget Office rules and analytical limitations lead to unrealistic projections and are vulnerable to manipulation. We need to modernize the budget process so Congress has a more complete and realistic understanding of the impact policies will have on the nation’s fiscal health, the economy and the well-being of families and businesses.

“For all the challenges America faces today – both at home and abroad – we also have tremendous opportunities to accomplish positive solutions on behalf of the American people. Much of that effort will begin with and be aided by putting forward a balanced budget that is equal to the tasks at hand – that speaks to the priorities of our diverse country, to our fiscal realities and our economic aspirations, to our national security concerns and the personal financial security of American families.”

Priorities in the 114^th Congress:

• A budget that balances within the 10-year window.
• A budget that invests in the nation’s priorities while saving and strengthening our health and retirement programs.
• Utilization of reconciliation instructions to move specific policy items through the House of Representatives and the Senate and to the president’s desk for consideration.
• Reform of the Congressional budget process to give policymakers the ability to more effectively and innovatively tackle the nation’s fiscal and economic challenges.
• Robust oversight of the Obama Administration – including the president’s annual budget proposal – along with a continued focus on the current unsustainability of the nation’s entitlement programs as well as fraud and wasteful spending across government agencies.

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