Daines Statement on Federal Budget Deficit

U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today released the following statement on the White House’s announcement that the federal budget deficit will increase $162 billion from last year.

“This latest projection of a surging deficit reaffirms the dramatic need to rein in our bloated government spending and implement necessary reforms to get our nation back on a sustainable fiscal path,” Daines stated. “Overspending and a lack of accountability in Washington, DC is consistently leaving our nation with a massive debt burden that our children and grandchildren will be forced to pay for. We desperately need to balance the budget and revitalize our economy to generate far more good-paying jobs and much stronger economic growth.” 

Daines has consistently prioritized improving the country’s fiscal health. In December, Daines voted against the 2000-page backroom trillion dollar spending deal that failed to secure necessary savings. Daines also voted against the debt limit deal that increased spending by $117 billion over two years and raised the federal debt limit through 2017. 

The first bill Daines introduced in both the Senate and House is the Balanced Budget Accountability Act, which strengthens accountability in Washington by requiring members of Congress to pass budgets that balance within ten years, or see their pay terminated.