Sen. Toomey: Budget Deal Breaks Caps, Increases Spending

U.S. Senator Pat Toomey, R-Pa., issued the following statement Friday about the budget agreement passed by the house on Thursday:

"The budget deal must be considered in comparison to existing law which was signed by President Obama in 2011 and established specific spending limits. These bipartisan spending caps are working. In 2012 and 2013, we reduced government spending two years in a row — for the first time since just after the Korean War – and lowered our deficits substantially.                                      

"I have maintained that any budget deal alternative to current law must preserve the taxpayer savings of existing law. The budget agreement does not accomplish this basic goal.

"Instead, this deal establishes new, higher budget caps to increase spending. The deal purports to offset those increases. But it does so, in some cases, with gimmicks and to a large degree with higher revenues.

"It is also unfortunate that this deal does not contain a provision that I have been calling for which would permanently end shutdowns and government by manufactured crisis.

"Regardless of one's position on this budget agreement, it is clear that Washington is still ignoring the unsustainable spending trajectory that remains a drag on our economy and future generations.  I hope that Congress will get to work to put our fiscal house in order."