| DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #56: Support Bipartisan Solutions to the Entitlement Crisis
Promise: “We do need to come together on a bipartisan basis on entitlements.” – Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), House Budget Committee Member; House Floor Remarks, March 28, 2007
Broken Promise: House Democratic leaders have been silent on H.R. 473, legislation introduced by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) that would establish a bipartisan commission to develop legislation designed to reform tax policy and entitlement benefit programs and ensure a sound fiscal future for the United States.
DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #57: Institute “PAYGO” To Control Spending
Promise: “Democrats are committed to fiscal responsibility through pay-as-you-go budgets, so that our children and grandchildren are not saddled with mountains of debt.” – Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) Website
Broken Promise: “In Washington … congressional leaders have imposed ‘pay-as-you-go’ budget rules that exclude the existing entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, which dominate federal spending. So ‘paygo’ is really just political cover for new taxes to support new spending.” – “Killing the Goose,” San Diego Union Tribune Editorial, April 16, 2007
DEMOCRATIC PROMISE #58: Adopt Honest Budgets
Promise: “[T]he new Democratic-led House takes America in a new direction-a fiscally responsible budget with the right priorities. Budget Committee Chairman John Spratt is a master of the budget, and he and his team have done an outstanding job reflecting the right American priorities and values.” – Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Press Release, March 21, 2007
Broken Promise: American families don’t have the option of using gimmicks to put their family budgets in order. But such rules weren’t applied by House Democrats in crafting their budget, which is loaded with trickery that hardly reflects “American priorities and values.” “The House and Senate versions of the budget depend on ‘reserve funds’ to pay for additional spending…There’s only one catch: The reserve funds are empty.” – “Democrats Banking on Empty Reserves,” Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2007 |