FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 23, 2011 CONTACT: Clark Pettig
 

Office: (202) 225-5802
 

Peters Invites Local Residents to Tackle Federal Budget Crisis Head-on

Non-Partisan Budget Workshop Will Allow Participants to Propose and Evaluate Ideas for Cutting the Deficit;
New Budget Projection: US Debt Could Rise to 190% of GDP by 2035

Berkley, MI – With the federal debt growing every day, and with partisan gridlock holding up debate in Washington, Representative Gary Peters is inviting local residents to share their ideas and suggestions for cutting the deficit and restoring fiscal discipline.

On Tuesday, June 28th, Peters will hold a public budget workshop at Berkley High School. Unlike a traditional town hall meeting where a lawmaker stands at the front of the room and lectures, this will be a hands-on exercise, giving participants the chance to work in groups to break down every aspect of the federal budget – from military spending and foreign aid to taxes and benefit programs.

“I talk with people in Michigan nearly every day who have good ideas for fixing the budget and putting us back on a path to fiscal responsibility, and it’s time that those ideas are heard,” said Rep. Gary Peters. “There is a lot of misinformation out there about the budget crisis, coming from both sides of the political debate. This workshop will give people a chance to break down the numbers themselves and come up with real, practical answers for the tough decisions we’re facing as a country.”

Fiscal discipline has been a top priority for Peters since taking office in 2009. Peters co-founded the Congressional Spending Cuts and Deficit Reduction Working Group, and he led House Democrats to introduce over $72 billion in deficit reduction measures in the 111th Congress.

This year, Peters has already led bipartisan efforts to cut unnecessary government spending. Peters teamed up with Republican Rep. Cory Gardner from Colorado to introduce two measures aimed at cutting unnecessary government programs – and Peters’ first legislative initiative of the year, an amendment to ensure that program savings are used for deficit reduction, passed the House with bipartisan support.

New budget reports this week show that the problem is getting worse. On Wednesday, the Congressional Budget Office released a report showing that the U.S. national debt could rise to 190% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2035. The national debt is already projected to equal 70% of GDP by the end of the current fiscal year. [LINK]

The budget fight in Washington is also expected to come to a head this summer as Congress debates raising the debt ceiling – essentially the limit on the nation’s credit card – to prevent an economically-devastating default.

Throughout his time in Congress, Rep. Peters has maintained that he will only vote for a debt ceiling increase if Washington also makes a serious commitment to responsible deficit reduction.

Rep. Peters said he hopes that next Tuesday’s community workshop will help explain the budget challenges our country faces and give residents a chance to propose their ideas to cut the deficit. He will be joined by budget experts from the non-partisan Concord Coalition, an independent budget watchdog group advocating fiscal sustainability.

Seating for the event is limited. Anyone interested in participating should visit Peters’ website at http://peters.house.gov/budget to reserve a space as soon as possible.

EVENT DETAILS
What: Budget Workshop with Rep. Gary Peters and the Concord Coalition
Date: Tuesday, June 28th, 2011
Time: 7:00 - 8:30 PM; Doors open at 6:30 PM
Where: Berkley High School Collaborative Center
Address: 2325 Catalpa Drive, Berkley, MI
RSVP: http://peters.house.gov/budget or call 248-273-4227

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

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