Washington, D.C. – Senator Ron Johnson (WI) – a member of the Senate Budget Committee – released the following statement regarding the budget submitted by President Obama today:

“There is not much to like in this budget. It increases spending, increases taxes, increases deficits, and never balances. While the President is touting deficit reduction in the long term, his plan would raise spending by $160 billion next year, and increase the deficit by $128 billion. This budget takes us in the wrong direction.

“The American people recognize that to get the economy moving and generate real, self-sustaining job creation, we need to limit spending and reject more tax increases.

“If the President wants to save Social Security and Medicare, he must begin to educate the American people about the nature of the problem. President Obama has told Senators that Medicare takes in one dollar of revenue for every three dollars it pays in benefits. While the small entitlement reforms included in his budget are a start, they will not significantly extend the life of important programs that millions of Americans count on. When he uses the bully pulpit of the White House to accurately describe the depth of the problem and make the case for reform, it will show he is serious. If and when he does so, he will have willing partners on the other side of the aisle.”

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