Today the House of Representatives approved H.R. 444 the “Require a Plan Act” by a vote of 253-167. This bill would direct that the President to produce a budget that balanced the federal budget within 10 years. If he fails to do so, he would then be required to provide a supplemental budget plan by April 1, 2013 that would identify in which fiscal year their plan would be balanced.
Mullin statement on the passage of H.R. 444 the “Require a Plan Act”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6th 2013 – Today the House of Representatives approved H.R. 444 the “Require a Plan Act” by a vote of 253-167. This bill would direct that the President to produce a budget that balanced the federal budget within 10 years. If he fails to do so, he would then be required to provide a supplemental budget plan by April 1, 2013 that would identify in which fiscal year their plan would be balanced.
The bill was introduced by Tom Price, M.D, Representative from Georgia’s 6th District.
This vote comes just days after the President once again failed to submit a budget to Congress on the legally required date. The President is required by law to submit his budget by the first Monday of February of each year, but he has failed to do so four out of the last five years.
This year also marks the fourth consecutive year the federal deficit has topped a trillion dollars.
Congressman Markwayne Mullin (OK-2) was a co-sponsor of the “Require a Plan Act” and issued the following comment on the bill’s passage:
“It has been far too long since we’ve had a budget in this country. It’s time to get serious. This common sense legislation is a step in the right direction. Oklahoma families and businesses know what it is like to live within a budget and it is high time that Washington D.C. learns to do the same. In my experience with my businesses I know what it is like to budget in good times and bad. The families and businesses in my district know that if they consistently spent more money than they took in there would be serious repercussions resulting from that decision. The same is true for our national budget. We cannot continue our reckless lack of planning while the United States sinks further into debt. By requiring a plan from this administration we can finally hold our government accountable to the American people.”
Rick Bumpers, owner of Bumpers Construction in Stigler, offered this statement on the bill:
“I’m proud of Congressman Mullin for voting for this bill. In my business I have to have a balanced budget and not spend more than I take in just like everybody else does. I can’t tell you how important budgeting is when making business decisions and I hope that our government will start operating the same way.”
