House and Senate negotiators late Monday released a $1.1 trillion federal spending bill that would supplant the so-called “sequester” spending cuts, give all federal workers a 1 percent raise, and fully fund many of President Barack Obama’s priorities, including Head Start. The federal government is at risk of another partial “shutdown” at midnight Wednesday if Congress does not approve a new spending bill or continuing resolution.
The following statements from federal budget experts at The Heartland Institute – a free-market think tank – may be used for attribution. For more comments, refer to the contact information below. To book a Heartland guest on your program, please contact Director of Communications Jim Lakely at [email protected] and 312/377-4000 or (cell) 312/731-9364.
“At some point Congress will need to come to the realization that it can’t continue to spend more than it takes in. Unfortunately, that time will likely be too late for Americans. This proposal essentially kicks the can down the road. Where is the leadership in Washington? Until long-term entitlements are reformed, taxpayers will be an economic hiccup away from being burdened with massively higher taxes.”
John Nothdurft
Director of Government Relations
The Heartland Institute
[email protected]
312/377-4000
“The world’s biggest budget keeps getting bigger. It grows when the economy grows. It grows when the economy shrinks. It grows when Republicans control it. It grows when Democrats control it. Where the dollars go may shift slightly depending on who is in control, but the overall size of the budget can be counted on to always grow because people in government love government – and millions of Americans have deluded themselves into believing government is the solution to nearly every societal problem instead of the cause of most societal problems.”
Steve Stanek
Research Fellow, Budget and Tax Policy
The Heartland Institute
Managing Editor
Budget & Tax News
[email protected]
815/385-5602
The Heartland Institute is a 30-year-old national nonprofit organization headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
John Nothdurft joined the staff of The Heartland Institute in May 2008 and left in January of 2019.
