Friday, April 8, 2011

Isakson Statement on Budget Deal That Avoids Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., made the following statement after Congress reached an agreement late Friday night on a budget stopgap that would cut another $2 billion in spending while keeping the government running until Thursday.

"I am pleased that Congress and the President finally reached an agreement to avoid a shutdown of the federal government. I hope we will quickly resolve the short-term budget next week so we can move on to tackle the larger challenge of reducing our enormous, unsustainable $14 trillion debt during the upcoming debates over the debt ceiling and the budget for fiscal year 2012.

"Let's come back next week and finish dotting the i's and crossing the t's and commit ourselves that the rest of the year is about America's future. It is about our children and grandchildren. It is about reining in expenses and spending our money accountably and predictably so the American people can expect of us what they have had to do—sit around their kitchen tables to prioritize what comes in and what goes out and balance their budgets.

"The fiscal crisis of the past few days provides a strong example why Congress should switch to a biennial budgeting system. If we were operating under a biennial budget today, we would have prevented our government from coming within hours of a complete shutdown. That is why I have introduced the Biennial Budget Appropriations Act – a commonsense reform that would provide greater stability and predictability in the budget process while requiring Congress to conduct oversight and scrutinize federal programs every other year. It would force us to set spending priorities and to become better stewards of the taxpayers' money."