Griffin: Obama's SOTU Address Underscores "Washington's Spending Addiction'

Press Release

Congressman Tim Griffin (AR-02) issued the following statement in reaction to President Obama's State of the Union (SOTU) address:

"President Obama is obsessed with raising taxes, and no matter how rosy he makes them sound, his big government proposals underscore Washington's spending addiction. Instead of presenting a plan to prevent the Obamaquester, or submitting a proposal to turn his rhetoric about a "balanced approach' into arithmetic that actually balances the budget, President Obama offered little more than tried-and-failed stimulus spending and higher taxes. Arkansans know higher taxes stifle opportunity and make it harder for folks to find jobs."

Last month, Griffin sent a letter to President Obama, asking him to present the cold, hard facts about the country's financial situation. He requested the President state: 1) the national debt as of the day before the State of the Union address; (2) the change in national debt since the date of the previous year's State of the Union address; and (3) the per person share of the national debt. Griffin also requested the President to state clearly the years Medicare and Social Security are expected to go bankrupt.

During Obama's presidency, the federal debt has increased by more than $5.8 trillion, reaching a record $16.4 trillion.

In September, Griffin supported a measure that would have repealed the across-the-board Obamaquester spending cuts, scheduled to take effect on March 1, 2013. The House-approved plan would have replaced them with equal or greater spending reductions by targeting wasteful programs.

Earlier today, Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf testified before the Senate Budget Committee, saying it's hard to score Obama's proposal to replace the Obamaquester because he hasn't "seen a specific proposal."

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