On Monday, President Obama sent Congress a $3.8 trillion budget proposal that includes nearly $2 trillion in new taxes, severe cuts to Medicare and accumulates $11 trillion in additional gross debt over the next ten years.
"This proposal is fiscally irresponsible and dangerously increases our national debt," said Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID).
The Hill reported Monday that Obama took a "combative tone" when announcing his budget proposal:
Seeking to continue to cast himself as a warrior for the middle class, Obama hammered home his theme of “fair play and shared responsibility.” In his 30-minute remarks, Obama also briefly touched on the so-called “Buffett Rule,” retelling the story about how billionaire investor Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.
“That’s not fair,” Obama said. “It doesn’t make sense at a time when we’ve got to pull together to keep the country moving.”
Responding to his critics, he said to applause, “That’s not class warfare. That’s common sense.”
But Crapo disagrees.
"It taxes too much, borrows too much and uses sleight-of-hand practices to claim false savings. Using especially rosy economic forecasts, different baselines than the Congressional Budget Office and taking credit for spending cuts and caps already enacted by Congress, are just some of the gimmicks used in this budget," he said.
The Hill also reported that President Obama "announced a new $8 billion fund that would forge alliances between community colleges and businesses in an effort that would train two million workers for jobs in high-demand fields such as healthcare, transportation and advanced manufacturing."
“We face difficult times in our economy, and there are costs associated with many of the difficult issues we debate," Crapo said.
"However, every American is impacted as much by our mounting national debt as the day-to-day issues they face. We must stop the tax-and-spend approach of the federal government. Serious actions must be taken to address the crushing debt, but tax hikes and new spending are not the answer," he added.
But the budget proposal put forth by the President has no chance of passing the GOP-controlled House, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday there's no need to bring the budget up for a vote this year.
CNN, noting that it has been over 1,000 days since the Democratic-controlled Senate has passed a budget, said Obama's proposal is more about politics than policy.
"Budget plans are about drawing clear political and ideological lines between Democrats and Republicans," wrote Alan Silverleib.
For Obama and the Democrats, the priorities are clear: higher taxes - especially on the more wealthy - and more spending on wasteful government programs while pandering to attract more votes.
For Republicans like Crapo, the priorities are just the opposite.
“Congress must practice spending restraint," he said.
"We need a budget without gimmicks and with real reforms, one based on less spending, less borrowing and more economic growth. No country has ever sustained the rate of borrowing we are currently engaged in, and real steps must be taken to address it, starting with a responsible, honest budget.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus echoed that sentiment.
"In a time of record debt, America should be spending less," he said. "Obama's hypocrisy has taken a devastating toll on our country. The mountain of debt weakens our economy and threatens our children's future."
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, called the proposal "one of the most spectacular fiscal cover-ups in American history."
President Obama's budget proposal can be seen here.
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