Oversight
Issue 1: Sequestration After The Fiscal Cliff
01.23.13
Sessions Comments On Majority Relenting, Promising Senate Budget Mark-Up And Regular Order
"I have repeatedly and emphatically called for an end to the Senate Democrats' brazen legal defiance in this time of national fiscal emergency… To compel Senate action I have introduced legislation, blocked recess, and encouraged the use of the debt ceiling as leverage. Now, with their pay threatened, and long-simmering public anger growing, Senate Democrats have suddenly seen the light. Even just a few days ago, they were not willing to commit to doing a budget." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Je… Continue Reading
01.18.13
Sessions Comments On House Effort To Force Senate To Pass A Budget
"The House must be steadfast. It is unthinkable that Senator Reid and Chairman Murray would put the nation through turmoil because they refuse to do their moral and statutory duty to produce a budget… It will not be easy because the challenge is great-and has become greater each year as a result of inaction by the Senate… but a clear and responsible budget and smart legislation to end our nation's reckless debt path can restore confidence and secure the future for today and for t… Continue Reading
01.16.13
Budget Committee Republicans To Murray: Production Of Budget ‘Prerequisite’ Of Fiscal Reform
"The suggested schedule we offer below would result in regular meetings and a timeline that leads to the completion of a budget resolution in accordance with the statutory requirements… We believe that work on a Senate budget is an essential prerequisite of any fiscal reform that takes place this year." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released a letter today from all Budget Committee Republican members to incoming Chairman Patty … Continue Reading
01.16.13
Sessions Comments On Projected 80 Percent Growth In Welfare Spending
"We must return to the moral principles of the 1996 reform... It is through that prism that we should consider reforms to our welfare programs, ensure resources are targeted to those in genuine need, and help more people transition from dependence to independence." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today concerning the projection, based on Congressional Research Service data, that welfare spending will increa… Continue Reading
01.15.13
Federal Welfare Spending To Grow Almost 80% Over The Next 10 Years
This chart displays projected federal spending on federal welfare programs over the next ten years, based on data from the Congressional Research Service and Congressional Budget Office. These figures do not count state contributions to federal welfare programs (primarily on low-income health assistance) which brought total welfare spending in FY2011 to more than $1 trillion-dwarfing any other budget item including Medicare and Social Security, and totaling enough to mail every household in pove… Continue Reading
01.10.13
Budget Cmte. Ranking Member Announces Opposition To Jack Lew Nomination
"Jack Lew must never be Secretary of the Treasury. His testimony before the Senate Budget Committee less than two years ago was so outrageous and false that it alone disqualifies… He is also the architect of two of the worst budgets in American history, both of which received zero votes in the Senate… For me, no mea culpa, no excuse, can erase the errors of Mr. Lew… We need a Secretary of Treasury that the American people, the Congress, and the world will know is up to the… Continue Reading
01.03.13
Sessions Welcomes New Members To Budget Committee
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today as committee assignments were announced for the 113th Congress: "I am thrilled with the strong Republican membership we have on the Budget Committee and grateful for their support. I look forward to working with my colleagues to tackle our nation's most pressing problem: the rapid accumulation of debt driven by massive government spending. Only by reforming government a… Continue Reading
01.01.13
Sessions Comments On Voting To Avoid Fiscal Cliff, Prevent Tax Increases
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement tonight about the vote on legislation to prevent the fiscal cliff by avoiding large tax increases as well as making permanent the temporary tax relief passed in 2001 and 2003: "This legislation is necessary to prevent a large and painful tax increase from falling on the vast majority of Americans. Its enactment will end a long period of uncertainty that would weaken or even r… Continue Reading
12.30.12
Sessions Comments On Status Of Fiscal Cliff Negotiations
WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement tonight about the status of negotiations to resolve the fiscal cliff: "No deal has been produced and no agreement has yet been reached that Congress could vote on, much less one that could be scored by CBO or scrutinized by the American people. The biggest obstacle we face is that President Obama and Majority Leader Reid continue to insist on new taxes that will be used to f… Continue Reading
12.20.12
Issue 4: History Of Deficit-Neutral Amendments In SBC Markups
12.11.12
Sessions Discusses USDA’s Effort To Expand Food Stamp Enrollment Regardless Of Financial Need
"In some of our first inquiries in examination of their program, we find that they are on a determined effort to expand the number of people who get on welfare-on food stamps-even if they don't want to be on food stamps… Is this the right approach for America? … Can't we look back to the principles of independence and individual responsibility and individual pride that Americans have, and nurture that and use that as a way to help reduce dependence in this country?" WASHINGTON-U.S… Continue Reading
12.10.12
The ‘Welfare Cliff’: How The Benefit Scale Discourages Work
Welfare spending is now the largest item in the budget-and will continue to grow every year. According to data from the Congressional Research Service, total spending on means-tested poverty programs in FY2011 was around $1 trillion, more than was spent on Social Security, Medicare, or defense. CRS data also reveals that spending on these programs is likely to increase by another 30 percent over the next four years. The dramatic rise in welfare spending has created a "welfare cliff." As mo… Continue Reading
12.07.12
Sessions Comments On New CBO Deficit Report
"President Obama talks a lot about a 'balanced plan' for deficit reduction, but there is one simple question the White House won't answer: how do you plan to balance the budget?" WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today about a new report from the Congressional Budget Office that shows that the deficit for just the first two months of FY 2013 has already hit $292 billion-a shocking $57 billion higher than the … Continue Reading
12.07.12
Total Welfare Spending Equates To $168 Per Day For Every Household In Poverty
Based on data from the Congressional Research Service, cumulative spending on means-tested federal welfare programs, if converted into cash, would equal $167.65 per day per household living below the poverty level. By comparison, the median household income in 2011 of $50,054 equals $137.13 per day. Additionally, spending on federal welfare benefits, if converted into cash payments, equals enough to provide $30.60 per hour, 40 hours per week, to each household living below poverty. The median ho… Continue Reading
12.06.12
Issue 3: That Other Sequester
12.04.12
Sessions, Thune Raise Concern Over Abuse Of SNAP Benefits By Paid Government Volunteers
WASHINGTON-Senators Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, and John Thune (R-SD), Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, today sent a letter to Wendy Spencer, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a government entity responsible for matching volunteers with local community service organizations. The letter outlines Sessions and Thune's concerns that current CNCS policies and promotional materials may encourage t… Continue Reading
12.03.12
Sessions: President’s Secret Cliff ‘Plan’ Has Over $1T In New Spending; Fed Debt Would Rise $9T Overall
"There is a reason why the White House strongly prefers to operate in secrecy... If the White House believes our analysts are mistaken, the Budget Committee is standing by to review any concrete financial plan the President wishes to produce." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today about comments made by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner regarding President Obama's fiscal cliff "plan": "Secretary Geithner's … Continue Reading
11.29.12
Sessions: There Is No Obama-Geithner Plan
"Until this fantasy 'plan' from a secret meeting is made public and scored by the Congressional Budget Office it does not exist… It is a distraction that allows the White House to continue to run out the clock so it can have maximal leverage to force through a bad deal in the last minutes before midnight." WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today following news reports about an alleged fiscal 'plan' off… Continue Reading
11.29.12
Sessions Delivers Remarks On Folly Of Secret Fiscal Negotiations
"Insofar as I can see, a tax-and-spend policy remains [President Obama's] goal today. The White House isn't planning to raise taxes to reduce the deficit, but to grow the government. I don't believe Congress will accept such a deal if that is what is being discussed… Shouldn't the President of the United States, the only person who represents everybody in the country, lay out his plan, or must that remain a secret too? Will it just be revealed to us on the eve of Christmas or eve of the … Continue Reading
