Murkowski Statement on Senate Budget Proposals
“These are difficult times that require difficult solutions”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate voted on five separate budget proposals this afternoon: those submitted by the President, Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT). None of the bills passed the threshold necessary to proceed – and President Obama’s received zero votes for the second year in a row.
Senator Murkowski cast ‘yes’ votes for Senator Toomey’s and Congressman Ryan’s budget plans – sharing this statement with Alaskans prior to the scheduled votes.
(Click to watch video)
“Our nation is approaching the $16 trillion mark when it comes to our debt, and we need a road map that puts us on the right path towards solid financial footing. As I told Alaskans during my economic town halls last fall, we must take action and unfortunately that action is going to impact us all. I will fight any cut that impacts Alaska disproportionately, but I will consider and must consider all the options available to move this country forward.
“I support Senator Toomey’s approach to our fiscal future – as I did last year – because it represents a responsible starting point to begin addressing the nation’s deepening deficit from the spending side. Representative Ryan has made some important adjustments to protect Americans’ access to Medicare, so I am supporting his budget proposal. Both of these blueprints will help put America on a better path to a seeing a positive balance sheet.
“But when we look at numbers, I think the most disturbing numbers for America today? Zero and 1,000. Zero is the number of votes that the President’s budget received in the Senate for two straight years. And over 1,000 is the number of days it has been since the Democrat-controlled Senate passed a budget of its own.
“These are difficult times that require difficult solutions, but doing nothing is clearly not an option.”
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