Politics

Republican representative calls aspect of budget proposal a ‘positive development’

Nicole Lafond Contributor
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A Republican member of Congress called the president’s acknowledgment of necessary entitlement program changes a “positive development” but said the budget, as a whole, was reckless.

After President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2014 budget proposal today, Rep. Diane Black (R-Tennessee) said the proposal as a whole “undermines our economic recovery, represses upward mobility and weakens the middle class.”

She called the House Republican FY 2014 plan a “balanced” budget that promotes economic growth, funds national priorities, insures social safety and saves entitlement programs.

The president introduced his budget plans to Congress on Wednesday, nine weeks late, a “record-breaking budget delay,” according to Black.

The budget, a $3.77 trillion spending plan, would significantly raise taxes and secure entitlement reform as an Obama administration commitment for the first time, The Washington Times reported.

Despite calling this a positive development, “modest cuts on the edges are no substitute for the fundamental structural reforms required to ensure the long-term solvency of programs like Medicare and Medicaid, upon which so many Americans rely,” Black said in a statement following the address.

She placed the responsibility of the advancement of policy on the president and Congress.

“I hope that the president will take that responsibility seriously and commit to working with House Republicans to move forward on policies with broad bipartisan support, such as enacting comprehensive, pro-growth tax reform and making a down payment on our debt.”

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