June 09,2009

Grassley: Pay-go is Cover for More Spending, Despite Calls for Fiscal Discipline

Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance and a senior member of the Budget Committee, today made the following comment on the President’s call for a return to statutory pay-as-you-go, or “pay-go,” requirements.

“In theory ‘pay-go’ sounds like a reasonable policy, but in practice it’s been a failure. When statutory pay-go was in effect in the 1990s, most programs were exempt, and Congress consistently voted to waive the required spending cuts. This proposal is simply a fig leaf to appease those who say they support fiscal discipline but continue to vote for more spending.”

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