Van Hollen Offers Democratic Alternative to Replace Sequester

Washington, DC - Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, issued the following statement on the Democratic alternative (PDF) to the Republican one-year plan to replace the Budget Control Act (BCA) sequester that he will offer at the Rules Committee today:

“We all agree that the meat-ax approach in the Budget Control Act’s sequester would be bad for the country.  But the Republican plan to replace it protects tax breaks for millionaires and corporations, while putting children and struggling families on the chopping block.  That is why I will introduce a Democratic alternative to replace this spending sequester through a combination of spending reductions and cuts to tax breaks for the wealthy and powerful special interests – taking a balanced approach, as recommended by every bipartisan group that has evaluated our fiscal challenge.

“We include the Buffett Rule to reduce the deficit without hitting working families. We cut unnecessary agriculture subsidies, as well as taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil. And, unlike the Republican plan, we protect funding for programs that help children and the most vulnerable, and eliminate cuts to Medicare in the BCA sequester. This fair and balanced approach is the better choice for our country, and stands in contrast the lopsided plan from Republicans that helps millionaires and billionaires at the expense of everyone and everything else.”

To read the Van Hollen Democratic Alternative, click here.