July 25, 2008

Reid: CBO Again Undermines Bogus Attacks On Package Of Noncontroversial Authorization Bills

Washington, DC—Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today in response to the attached letter he received from the Congressional Budget Office (PDF) regarding a package of noncontroversial authorization bills being blocked by some Senate Republicans:

“The Congressional Budget Office has once again undermined bogus claims that our package of authorization bills would increase the deficit.  As CBO pointed out, ‘authorizations do not cause changes in federal spending or revenues.’ 

“It is important to understand that the total level of appropriations is set in the budget resolution and has nothing to do with any authorization bill.  Nor should anyone be confused by CBO’s estimate of the cost of appropriation bills that Congress might or might not choose to enact later.  Those costs would flow only from the subsequent appropriations, not from this authorization bill.

“The bottom line, as CBO’s letter has confirmed yet again, is that our package will have no meaningful impact on the federal deficit.  Nobody should be fooled into believing otherwise.

“It’s hard to understand why some Republicans apparently believe that it’s in their political interests to block legislation that cracks down on child pornographers and keeps kids from drugs.  But it’s now indisputable that their opposition has nothing to do with deficit reduction and everything to do with partisan obstructionism.”

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