U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan Serving Wisconsin's 1st District

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Paul Ryan: Taxpayers and the Troops Deserve Answers from the President

July 18, 2012

WASHINGTON – Today, the House of Representatives voted 414-2 to pass on a bipartisan basis H.R. 5872, the Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012.

The Sequestration Transparency Act requires President Obama to detail how the administration plans to implement the budget sequestration cuts scheduled to take place in January 2013 under current law. The legislation recently passed the House Budget Committee on a bipartisan, unanimous vote.

Upon passage of this bipartisan, common-sense legislation, Congressman Paul Ryan issued the following statement:

“The Obama Administration has yet to specify how they would implement current law, while refusing to demonstrate leadership in replacing the arbitrary cuts to core priorities. Today’s legislation marks a bipartisan call for transparency and action from an Administration that appears to have given up on governing. Congress and the American people need a full and complete picture from the President’s Office of Management and Budget on how it will implement these deep reductions called for under the sequestration process.

“The arbitrary, across-the-board sequester cuts would have a devastating impact on our national security and key domestic priorities. That is why Republicans in the House passed legislation earlier this year to replace the across-the-board cuts under sequestration with common-sense reforms and spending reductions.

“Unfortunately, we have not seen the same effort from the Senate or the Administration when it comes to responsible budgeting. The White House refuses to answer basic questions about the law, while the Democrat-controlled Senate has refused to budget in over three years. Senate Majority Leader Reid and other leading Senate Democrats, unwilling to advance solutions, have effectively endorsed crippling cuts to our national defense and massive tax increases that will crush small businesses and families already struggling in this dismal economy. Americans deserve answers from our chief executive on the consequences of the deep reductions from the sequestration process and the specific steps that he will take to address these concerns.”

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Contact: Smythe Anderson 202-225-3031