U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, responded to the President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Budget that was submitted to Congress:
“America’s future demands leadership and tough choices to lead our country to the prosperity our families, small businesses and seniors deserve.В Unfortunately, the President’s budget blue print is better suited to an episode of the Twilight Zone – an alternate reality of more stimulus spending, more taxes, and more debt designed to satisfy his left-wing base during an election year, but already rejected by the American people.В Only this White House could simultaneously argue that our economy is weak so we need more stimulus spending, while also arguing that the economy is getting better, so we should punish small businesses and entrepreneurs with massive tax hikes.В Furthermore, despite calling for an вЂall-of-the-above strategy’ to promote American energy production in his State of the Union speech last month, the President’s budget does little to increase domestic energy production and the job creation that comes with it.
“The hard truth is the President’s budget is a roadmap to more economic insecurity, hardship and pain as we try to recover from the worst economic downturn in a generation. So much for halving the deficit by the end of his first term, as the President promised.  No wonder Senate Democrats have already ruled out taking up the President’s budget – or any other – for the year.”
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