01.26.15

New Budget chair says budget projections show need for urgent course correction

Washington, D.C. – The Congressional Budget Office is expecting our nation’s debt to grow by $9 trillion over the next decade. U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, said this is a problem we can no longer run from, but one we must confront:

“‎The past will catch up to us no matter how fast we run from it. The Congressional Budget Office’s new figures show our failure to root out wasteful spending and live within our means. This has left us with an endless supply of debt that grows larger by the day.”

“According to CBO, our debt is expected to grow by $9 trillion over the next decade; interest costs, which provide no services to Americans, are expected to cost $5.6 trillion and account for 11 percent of total spending. It is clear our $18 trillion debt is an ‎anchor that will sink us if we don’t change course.”

“A debt this large doesn’t come overnight. We make promises we pay for with gimmicks and IOUs. It will be a challenge, but I want to change that. The habit of spending now and paying later is deeply ingrained.”

“As a country we aren’t paying it forward. We ask the forward, the future, to pay for what we want now.‎ But we can do better. That starts with being honest with ourselves.”