Wicker: Congress Passes First Balanced Budget Since 2001

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a member of the Senate Budget Committee, Tuesday voted in favor of the first 10-year balanced budget plan passed by Congress since 2001. Wicker served as a conferee on the House-Senate committee tasked with reconciling differences between the chambers’ budget plans. The Senate passed the measure by a vote of 51-48.

“This balanced budget plan fulfills the promise we made to the American people last year,” Wicker said. “We vowed to deliver a budget that expands economic growth, increases opportunities for hard-working families, and caps federal spending without raising taxes. It also puts us on a path to protect our national defense capabilities and military personnel from drastic sequestration cuts, which would return in October if Congress fails to act. This is a significant and substantive achievement.”

Three provisions authored by Wicker contained in the final “Budget Resolution,” S.Con.Res. 11, include:

Requiring CBO to perform long-term estimates of the budgetary effects of major spending legislation;
Supporting research to identify the cause of Alzheimer’s, develop therapies to delay its onset or halt the progression of the disease, and ultimately find a cure; and
Expediting the award process under the IRS Whistleblower Award program for those who come forward with information on tax evasion.

“Americans demand accountability and transparency when it comes to how their tax dollars are being spent,” Wicker concluded. “I believe this responsible plan achieves those goals.”

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the budget would increase America’s economic growth by more than $400 billion over the next decade. In Mississippi, that could mean more than 10,000 new jobs.

The House passed the budget last week by a vote of 226-197.