Bucshon Votes to Balance Budget

Works to include Indiana as example for Medicaid reform

(Washington, DC) –Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Con. Res 25, a responsible, balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2014. The budget passed the House, 221 – 207.

Representative Bucshon (IN-08) released the following statement regarding the House budget proposal:

“Today, the House passed yet another budget that follows through on our commitment to cut spending, balance the budget, and grow the economy. Our budget cuts wasteful spending, reforms the broken tax code, and strengthens our priorities like Medicare, Medicaid, and national security.

“The House budget also uses Indiana as an example of what states can achieve if the federal government allows them to innovate. I am proud to have worked with Chairman Ryan and his staff to ensure the Healthy Indiana Plan was included in the budget as a blueprint for states to implement Medicaid reforms when given the necessary flexibility.

“Today we voted to ease the burden on hardworking Hoosiers, expand opportunity, and pay down our debt. I hoped the Senate would follow this lead and present a budget that offers real spending reduction, yet their first budget proposal in over four years includes over $1 trillion in new taxes and never fully balances. At the same time, the President’s budget is still absent.

“Hoosiers deserve a balanced budget from Washington, DC that strengthens our priorities and creates more opportunity, not a plan that takes more of their paycheck to fund more federal spending.”

BACKGROUND:

To access full text of the House FY 2014 Budget, click here.

Congressman Bucshon worked with Congressman Paul Ryan, Chairman of the Budget Committee, and his staff to ensure the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) was included in the house budget. “It [HIP] was included after U.S. Rep. Larry Bucshon, a Newburgh Republican, urged Ryan to look at Indiana’s plan one that was launched under former Gov. Mitch Daniels and approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through a Medicaid waiver”(Evansville Courier & Press; 3/13/13).

According to The Hill, President Obama is unlikely to balance the budget when he releases his budget blueprint next month” (The Hill, 3/11/13).

In the same article, White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney admits that he does not know when the President’s budget will be released. “On Monday, Carney again reiterated that the White House did not ‘have a date-certain’ for release of the president’s budget”(The Hill, 3/11/13).

The Senate Budget will increase taxes and not end deficits. “They have signaled that their budget will do more to raise revenue than to cut spending and that it will not end deficits” (The Hill, 3/11/13).