Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions took a sharp tone on Monday, criticizing what he called “fake cuts” from Democrats during a floor speech.
Sessions, the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, made his remarks following a speech from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that criticized the budget passed last week by House Republicans.
“Well, a vote for the Democratic plan that will be presented tomorrow will be a vote to do nothing,” Sessions said. “That’s the fact. It will be a vote to say we are still in denial. It will be a vote [to] say deficits don’t matter. We can just continue to spend, just continue to invest. It’ll all get better in the end. “
The junior Alabama senator argued the Democratic plan will keep the country on the wrong path.
“This is not an acceptable path,” he said. “This is a road to decline. It’s a road to dependence on foreign sources of money to finance our spending spree. It’s not the road to prosperity and growth.”
He pointed out that under President Barack Obama’s proposal, interest payments on the national debt would soar if the plan were voted into law.
“It cannot be business as usual, but that’s what the majority leader is proposing — to do nothing,” Sessions said. “Do nothing – let the interest on go from $200 billion a year to $844 [billion].”
He said would be bad for the American public.
“Business as usual – politicians win again, people lose,” Sessions said. “Elections nullified. Business as usual.”
Sessions said he understood the importance of party loyalty, but in his remarks urging his colleagues on the other side the aisle to vote against the Reid’s proposal, he said it was time to depart from that party loyalty.
“We’re not to be lemmings,” he added. “We do have a duty to our constituents, our country and our future to make some tough decisions.”
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