Representative Scott DesJarlais (TN-04) released the following statement after voting in favor of House Republicans’ Fiscal Year 2013 budget, entitled the Path to Prosperity:

“There can be no more doubt that our nation is set on an unsustainable spending course, which if not changed, will surely lead to our economic collapse. The math speaks for itself – we can no longer maintain the status quo.

“The Path to Prosperity makes the tough choices necessary to rein in excessive government spending and put our nation on a track to eliminating deficits and paying down our debt. Families all across Tennessee have had to learn to live within their means and it is time for the government to do the same. 

“Equally as important, this budget prevents Medicare from going broke in 2024 – a fact confirmed by the 2011 Medicare Trustees Report. The Path to Prosperity incorporates the bipartisan Ryan-Wyden proposal that allows current seniors to keep their existing plans while allowing future seniors – not Washington bureaucrats – to choose what plan is right for them. If we act now, we can ensure that current seniors will see no changes to their plans.

“The other side often talks about a balanced approach. Yet, they raise taxes not to reduce the deficit, but rather to further fuel their runaway spending train. The president’s budget was brought to a vote on the House floor where it failed to receive a single vote – Republican or Democrat. And the Senate has not produced a budget in more than 1,000 days. Additionally, the president’s budget for last year failed to receive a single vote in the Democrat-controlled Senate. This just highlights the absolute lack of leadership and credibility the president has on budgetary issues.

“Clearly we need a new direction. I was sent to Washington to make the difficult spending decisions needed to prevent our children and grandchildren from inheriting a mountain of debt. I’m proud to support the Path to Prosperity because it is the right prescription for America.” 

The Path to Prosperity:

• Cuts government spending to protect hardworking taxpayers;
• Tackles the drivers of our debt, so our troops don’t pay the price for Washington’s failure to take action;
• Restores economic freedom and ensures a level playing field for all by putting an end to special-interest favoritism and corporate welfare;
• Reverses the President’s policies that drive up gas prices, and instead promotes an all-of the-above strategy for unlocking American energy production to help lower costs, create jobs, and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
• Strengthens health and retirement security by taking power away from government bureaucrats and empowering patients instead with control over their own care;
• Reforms our broken tax code to spur job creation and economic opportunity by lowering rates and closing special interest tax loopholes so that everyone pays their fair share.

More information on the Path to Prosperity is available at www.budget.house.gov/prosperity.