East Oregon News

Washington, D.C. - On May 31, 2023, Congressman Cliff Bentz (OR-02) issued a statement on his vote in favor of the "Fiscal Responsibility Act."

“This bill, H.R. 3746, the “Fiscal Responsibility Act,” is the result of Speaker McCarthy forcing President Biden to the bargaining table, where our team was able to negotiate a truly meaningful deal, giving me – and the entire House of Representatives – the opportunity to vote for the largest spending cut in U.S. history. We blocked new taxes proposed by President Biden, capped discretionary spending at a 1% increase per year, reformed NEPA for the first time in 40 years, rescinded billions in COVID money, adjusted welfare requirements to incentivize individuals to seek employment, restarted $5 billion a month in student loan payments, protected Veterans, and maintained defense spending. Perhaps the best part of this deal is that if Congress fails to properly fund the government via the 12 appropriations bills passed by the Senate, all budgets will be automatically cut by 1% thus forcing everyone to the table. Moreover, Speaker McCarthy and his negotiators were able to do this while only looking at 11% of the entire budget (89% of the budget – Social Security, Medicare, the military, and Veterans were off the table). This deal represents a monumental achievement by House Republicans, and it is a much-needed step in the right direction in getting our fiscal house back in order." - Rep. Cliff Bentz

Original source can be found here.