Democratic Amendments to the Republican 2013 Budget Resolution

Mar 23, 2012

 

This week the House Budget Committee marked up the Republican budget resolution for fiscal
year 2013 and approved it on a strict party line, with no Democratic support and two Republicans
voting against it. 

Democrats want to achieve long-term economic growth by making wise investments and steadily
reducing deficits and debt, but not through the choices made in the Republican budget.  It
provides tax breaks to millionaires while ending the Medicare guarantee for seniors and sticking
seniors with the bill for rising health care costs.  It protects tax giveaways to big oil companies
and other special interests while slashing investments in education, scientific research, and critical
infrastructure.  It rewards corporations that ship American jobs overseas while terminating
affordable health care for tens of millions of Americans.  It slashes Medicaid, cutting support for
seniors in nursing homes, individuals with disabilities, and low-income children.  It raises taxes
on middle-income Americans to pay for additional tax breaks for the very wealthy.

Budget Committee Democrats offered a series of amendments that reflect America's priorities:
investments to promote job creation, maintaining Medicare and the social safety net, and
responsible deficit reduction through policy choices that ask everyone to pay their fair share. 
None of the amendments would have increased the deficit, and in fact, several would have
reduced the deficit.  All of the amendments offset any proposed spending by reducing
unproductive tax breaks, including subsidies for big oil companies, egregious tax breaks such as
tax deductions for corporate jets, tax loopholes that encourage the outsourcing of manufacturing
and result in fewer American jobs, and additional tax cuts for millionaires.   

Republicans rejected every Democratic amendment to reduce the deficit or change spending
levels.  Following is a description of the amendments.  The Appendix at the end includes the text
of each amendment and each roll call vote tally.