Washington, D.C. –Congressman Rick Berg today released the following statement in response to President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2013 budget request, which calls for more spending and a trillion dollar deficit.

“In North Dakota, we know that you can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.  Yet that is what the President’s budget proposal does—it perpetuates the failed Washington way of doing things by growing our deficit yet again, crafting more budget gimmicks, and leading our nation toward greater financial turmoil and debt.  The President’s proposal makes it clear that there is no more glaring example of how Washington can learn from North Dakota than in the budgeting process. 

“In North Dakota, we know that you can’t spend more than you take in.  While in the North Dakota legislature, we came together—House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, along with then-governor John Hoeven— to balance our budget, prioritize spending for critical projects, and work hard to hand off a better future to the next generation. Washington has taken the opposite approach, and under President Obama’s watch, this business-as-usual way of doing things has left our nation burdened with more than $15 trillion in debt and facing a $1 trillion deficit for the fourth year in a row.  Washington owes it to our children and grandchildren to stop passing the buck and racking up the debt, and instead start budgeting and governing like we do in North Dakota.”

Key facts from the President’s budget:

• Spends Too Much:
  • $47 trillion of government spending over the next decade
  • Proposes a net increase over current spending projections
• Borrows Too Much:
  • Four straight years of trillion-dollar-plus deficits; no plan to reduce the debt
  • Gross debt at the end of FY22: $25.9 trillion
• Offers More Gimmicks & Broken Promises
  • Overstates new deficit reduction by taking credit for savings already enacted

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