GOP Continues to Protect Special Interest Tax Breaks Over Everything Else

ALSO SEE:  POLITICO Op-ed: Replace sequester with balanced approach - July 19, 2012

Washington, DC – Today Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, issued the following statement on Republicans’ continued insistence on putting tax breaks for millionaires and special interests above funding for defense, thereby preventing a bipartisan agreement to replace the pending sequester under the Budget Control Act:

“Republicans had a clear choice before them when we negotiated the bipartisan Budget Control Act – cutting tax breaks for the very wealthy and special interests or cutting defense spending – and that choice remains the same today.  The GOP is consistently and deliberately choosing to expose national defense to across-the-board cuts rather than ask the wealthy to share greater responsibility. This is the same mentality that led Republicans, under President Bush and Vice President Cheney, to put the trillions spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on the national credit card.  Republicans in Congress talk big about defense – they just don't want to pay for it.

“Mr. Cheney, who is on the Hill today consulting with House Republicans, once said ‘deficits don’t matter’ – Democrats disagree.  We believe we must reduce the deficit in a balanced way that involves closing special interest tax loopholes as well as making targeted spending cuts, and that we can do so without weakening our national security.  We also believe we must prevent all of the cuts in the sequester, and not subject local police, education, and medical research to this meat-ax. It’s time for our colleagues to put their pledge to the American people before their pledge to Grover Norquist, and work with us on a responsible approach to deficit reduction and preventing the sequester.”