Washington, D.C. – House Budget Committee Vice Chair Allyson Schwartz (PA-13) released the following statement concerning tonight’s House vote of 233 to 196 on the House budget resolution.  The budget resolution establishes the top amount of money that Congress is authorized to spend in this year’s appropriations bills. The budget does not set spending levels for specific programs, nor does it change current law.

“In the past two and a half months, this Administration and this Congress working together have taken tremendous action to rebuild our economy. We have provided tax relief to 95% of Americans, worked to create jobs by assisting small businesses and states, invested in needed infrastructure, energy independence, health IT, and education.

“This budget is an economic map forward. Our budget furthers the important work we’ve already achieved this Congress by embracing President Obama’s goals to rebuild our economy, and it makes strategic, targeted investments in the areas – healthcare, energy, and education – that are paramount for our nation’s future economic prosperity and security.

“In order to be economically competitive we must tackle these challenges, in particular healthcare reform.  

“We have a moral and an economic responsibility to find a uniquely American solution to healthcare reform. The budget recognizes that we must have a much-needed debate here in Congress and with the American people on the issues of cost, quality and access to healthcare for all Americans. We will move forward this year on containing the unsustainable healthcare costs in the public and private sectors by improving quality and efficiency. And in doing so, we can extend access to meaningful, affordable health coverage to all Americans.

“Our budget also establishes a new fiscal framework, including a long-overdue return to honest budgeting and fiscal responsibility. We know we must tackle our deficit, and as such we have laid out an ambitious marker to cutting the deficit in half in 5 years.

“Tonight’s vote demonstrated clearly that the budget is a reflection of our values and our priorities. It is a testament to what we believe in, and it is a path forward for our country.”

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