| Today, the Chairmen of the three Committees with jurisdiction over our Nation's health policy introduced a discussion draft for reforming our health care system. Next week, these Committees will hold hearings on this important legislation, with markups to follow, and continue talking with Members on both sides of the aisle to reach a consensus. With this draft, we take another important step in achieving the goal of bringing affordable, quality health care to all Americans, and working together we will achieve it this year.  | Leader Hoyer joins White House Office of Management and
Budget Director Peter Orzsag and Democratic Chairmen
and Members at a press conference on the introduction of
the President's statutory “pay-as-you -go” (PAYGO)
legislation. |
This week, I joined House Democrats in introducing President Obama’s “Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009.” Democrats have consistently pushed for restoring fiscal responsibility in order to reverse years of reckless spending under the Bush Administration, and restoring PAYGO is a central part of that effort. The PAYGO rule is simple: to spend a dollar, you have to save a dollar elsewhere. Putting the PAYGO principle into law will help us invest sustainably in some of our most important priorities, while pushing us to make the hard choices necessary to support vital programs and cut wasteful spending. President Obama has made fiscal responsibility a top priority, and we will continue working with him as we move to pass this bill into law. Next week, we will consider the Defense Authorization bill, which authorizes investments in resources that support U.S. service members, keep Americans safe, and protect our national interests. In addition, we will bring two appropriations bills to the Floor that make critical investments in our nation's security and environment. | |
