Washington, D.C.—Today, Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) released the following statement upon the release of President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget proposal.
“Now that the Senate has passed our budget, the House has passed their budget, and the President has weighed in with a proposal for a compromise path forward, we need to do everything we can to work together toward a balanced and bipartisan budget deal that works for families and the economy.
“President Obama has made it very clear that his proposal isn’t the budget he would write on his own. It’s not the budget I would write on my own, and it includes several policies that I don’t think are the best ways to tackle the deficit and debt.
“While I was glad to hear some Republicans express interest in finally putting an end to governing by crisis, I was very disappointed to see members of their leadership seemingly reject any compromise at all before they even had a chance to read the details of the President’s proposal. I hope that those Republicans are now prepared to tell us their ideas for a bipartisan path forward.
“I was very glad to see that President Obama maintained his commitment to putting jobs and broad-based economic growth first and that his proposal includes key investments in early childhood education, college affordability, transportation infrastructure, and other key programs. I feel very strongly that protecting our fragile economic recovery is paramount, and the President and Senate Democrats have made clear that any budget agreement we come to would have to reflect that.
“The President’s proposal also maintains the key principle in the Senate Budget that is supported by bipartisan groups and the vast majority of the American people—that deficit reduction needs to be done in a balanced way and include a responsible mix of spending cuts and new revenue from those who can afford it most.
“The Senate Budget we passed last month reflects where I think our country needs to be, as well as the pro-growth, pro-middle class values and priorities of Senate Democrats and the vast majority of the American people as we move into negotiations with the House.
“I am going to continue working with Chairman Ryan and others to negotiate a pro-growth, pro-jobs budget through the regular Congressional process, and hopefully bring an end to recent governing by crisis.”
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