[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 22 (Thursday, February 9, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 H.R. 3582--PRO-GROWTH BUDGETING ACT AND H.R. 3578--BASELINE REFORM ACT

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                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 9, 2012

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to both H.R. 3582 and 
H.R. 3578. These misguided bills make it easier for Congress to pass 
budgets that give wealthy individuals unaffordable tax breaks while 
devastating America's communities with cuts to schools, hospitals and 
road and bridge repairs.
  H.R. 3582, the Pro Growth Budgeting Act, requires the Congressional 
Budget Office, CBO, to use ``dynamic scoring'' as part of a 
macroeconomic impact analysis of tax provisions. This new method is 
based on the false premise that tax cuts pay for themselves, which 
would hide the true costs of passing even more tax cuts for America's 
wealthiest individuals.
  H.R. 3578, the Baseline Reform Act, mandates a fundamental change in 
how CBO forecasts future discretionary spending in its baseline, 
requiring CBO to unrealistically assume that spending in the future 
will stay the same and not keep pace with inflation. Over the long-
term, this could result in a substantial decrease in vital government 
services that niillions of Americans rely on.
  Both of these bills present a distorted picture of the federal budget 
outlook. H.R. 3582 and H.R. 3578 will fail to create jobs, reduce the 
national deficit, or put the country on a fiscally sustainable path. By 
bringing these bills to the floor, the House Republican Majority is 
once again failing to focus on the most pressing need of our 
constituents: growing the economy and creating jobs.
  It is time to leave behind the failed Republican economic policies of 
the last decade. The Great Recession proved that deregulation and tax 
cuts for the wealthy at a time when America is fighting two wars 
destroys jobs and produces enormous deficits. Republicans and Democrats 
need to come together around a new agenda that makes strategic 
investments in our country. We can start with President Obama's 
American Jobs Act, which would put more than 1 million Americans back 
to work, according to independent economists. By working together, we 
can build a stronger, more competitive economy for the 21st century.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose them.

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