Sessions: Budget Misrepresentations ‘Deal A Severe Blow To President Obama’s Credibility’

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued a statement today following Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s testimony before the Committee:

“The Administration continues to persist in the duplicity that this budget cuts spending when it increases spending by $1.5 trillion over the levels in current law. Even giving them credit for reducing war costs—all of which were borrowed—does not change the mathematical fact that spending is going up. A mere six months after the sequester was passed, the president proposes to eliminate it. While the Administration attempts to hide this fact, the spending increase of $1.195 trillion is shown on Table S-2, page 267 of their own budget.

The claim that Secretary Geithner repeats, that the budget calls for two and a half dollars of spending cuts for every dollar in tax increases, is demonstrably and dramatically false: there are no net spending cuts; the budget increases spending by $1.5 trillion while increasing taxes substantially.

The first priority for a serious leader to confronting a crisis is to establish credibility with the people he seeks to lead. The false claims for this budget deal a severe blow to President Obama’s credibility. Importantly, it seems to suggest to the American people that things are under control, and that no more change and sacrifice will be needed. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

NOTE: To view video of the exchange between Sessions and Geithner, please click here.

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