Washington – Senator Evan Bayh made the following statement after voting against the Fiscal Year 2010 federal budget blueprint:

“Throughout my career, I have supported fiscal responsibility as a cornerstone of good government and a prerequisite for sustainable progressive policies. As governor of Indiana, this meant I kept spending reasonable and taxes in check. I vetoed a state budget passed by my own party in 1993 and left Indiana a large surplus when my tenure was complete.

“As a United States senator, I have tried to continue this approach and be a voice for responsible spending in the nation’s capital. However, my views are in the minority in Washington.

“Over the last eight years, the nation’s debt has nearly doubled from $5.8 trillion to $10.6 trillion. Our public debt as a percentage of our economy has risen from 33 percent to 41 percent. Our borrowing from foreign nations has more than tripled from $1 trillion to $3.1 trillion.

“The last decade has been a time of fiscal irresponsibility in Washington. Six times, I voted to oppose unsustainable budgets passed by Congress. Twice, Congress failed to pass a budget at all.

“The spending blueprint voted on by the Senate today represents an improvement from years past because it is more transparent and honest than the budgets to which we’ve grown accustomed. The money we will borrow will fund important priorities like affordable health care, energy independence, job creation, and education improvements, rather than tax cuts for the most affluent.

“However, under this budget, our national debt skyrockets from $11.1 trillion today to an estimated $17 trillion in 2014. As a percentage of our gross domestic product, it reaches a precarious 66.5 percent. The deficit remains larger than our projected economic growth, an unsustainable state of affairs. This budget will increase our borrowing from and dependence upon foreign nations.

“I cannot support such results. We can do better, and for the sake of our nation and our children’s future, we must.”

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