Hatch on Fiscal Cliff

SALT LAKE CITY – U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement today after the President spoke on the fiscal cliff:

“Earlier this week, I called the President and congratulated him on his reelection. With this hard-fought election behind us, the President needs to bring both parties together, exercise leadership and confront the fiscal cliff that threatens to put our nation into a recession if we don’t act by the end of the year. As such, I’m glad he is bringing leaders of both parties together next week to discuss how we should move forward.

“I also would like to commend Speaker Boehner for not only keeping his robust House majority, but for his commitment to reforming government. He was clear, thoughtful and decisive this week in making the case for why we need comprehensive tax and entitlement reform. This is the only path to a true, long and sustainable economic recovery that will bring jobs, bigger pay checks, and economic growth that middle-class families have been waiting for.

“What’s troubling is that while I’ve heard a lot of talk about Republicans and revenue of late, I’ve heard little from my friends on the other side of the aisle about reforming our entitlement programs. In other words, it takes two to tango. So, if they are serious about a so-called balanced approach, then they have to be willing to bring about substantive reforms to these programs that make up the bulk of our debt.

“Furthermore, I am perplexed as to why anyone would want to raise taxes on small businesses. This is not the solution the American people are looking for to confronting our economic crisis. Hitting close to a million small businesses with higher taxes is unfair, threatens jobs, and imperils our economic recovery.”

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