Fellow Utahn-
Our nation is facing a fiscal crisis that is getting worse by the day. Fueled by runaway spending that has reached 25 percent of GDP, our national debt has increased by more than 25 percent in just the last two years. The Congressional Budget Office says it is already nearly two-thirds the size of our economy and could stand at an astonishing 90 percent in just 9 years. It’s clearly unsustainable.
In that vein, on Wednesday I announced a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution that will set effective limits on federal spending, taxes and require a balanced budget. I’ve sponsored or co-sponsored a Balanced Budget Amendment 23 times over the years, including in 1997 when my Balanced Budget Amendment, fell short by just one vote. We can’t afford to wait any longer. Our country is the greatest in the world and I want to make sure it stays that way.
Sincerely,
Orrin Hatch
Below you will find my press statements from this last week:
Click here to watch the press conference on the Balanced Budget Amendment.
Take Down Fatally Flawed $2.6 Trillion ObamaCare
“By repealing both the unconstitutional individual mandate and the job-crushing employer mandate, we effectively are taking down the two central pillars holding up this disastrous law. If President Obama is serious about creating good-paying jobs in our nation, as he stated during his State of the Union address, enactment of these common-sense initiatives would be a strong step toward achieving that goal.” Read the full statement here.
Hatch, Cornyn, 19 Senator Introduce Balanced Budget Amendment to Constitution
“Bringing down our sky-high debt is in the economic, national security and public interest of our nation. Time after time, Washington has promised to bring down the debt, but then kept the spending going – increasing the mountain of debt our kids and grandkids will have to pay for. A Balanced Budget Amendment is a sure fire way of making sure we end that dangerous cycle.” Read more here.
Meeting with Interior Secretary Salazar, Head of BLM on Administration’s Devastating New Land Policy
“I made it very clear to the Secretary and Director Abby that the Administration’s new Wild Lands policy will be devastating to rural Utah and those communities in our state that depend on access to public lands. Closing off so much land in Utah is unacceptable. The people of our state are sick and tired of being dictated to by Washington bureaucrats. The secretary and Director Abby told me that they would examine the impact of this new Administration policy – I will hold them to that. There can and will be no empty promises from the Administration on this reckless policy.” Read the full statement here.
Remarks on the State of the Union Address
“The President spoke about our dangerous debt and his commitment to bringing it down. But actions speak louder than words. . . It’s time for the President to work with Republicans to cut spending, not freeze them at these bloated levels, so our government can finally live within its means – just like families across Utah do.” Read the full statement here. To watch clips of the floor speech please clickhere.
