President Obama Submits $4.1 Trillion Budget (And Reaction)

President Barack Obama submitted his final budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year, which begins October 1, 2016. The budget would be a record $4.1 trillion and would increase taxes by $2.6 trillion over the next decade. $319 billion of the tax increase would come on a $10 per barrel tax for crude oil. You can dig into the President’s budget HERE.

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R, GA-3):

“President Obama’s budget request does nothing to address our out-of-control spending and $19 trillion national debt. This is nothing more than a progressive playbook for his liberal agenda during his last few months in office.

The burden this President is putting on our grandchildren is disgraceful and his priorities, as usual, are way off. Creating the oil tax would increase the cost of gas by 24 cents per gallon – just when people were starting to feel relief at the pump. Creating the oil tax, or raising any tax for that matter, is not the solution to our spending problem. The President is also using this as a last-ditch effort to expand ObamaCare, through Medicaid expansion, to states that have already made a decision and rejected this failed healthcare system.

It has been 7 years of bad budgeting, and the people are sick of it. I am hopeful that with new, Republican leadership in the White House in 2017 that we can finally fix the financial mess this President has put us in.”

More responses after the break, including Gov. Nathan Deal’s views on the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) shortfall in the FY17 Budget.

House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Price (R, GA-6):

“Like every one of his previous budgets, President Obama’s newest plan never balances. Ever. Like all of his previous proposals, it increases spending by trillions of dollars above what we already cannot afford and takes more money out of the pockets of hardworking taxpayers with no plan to address the key drivers of our debt. Under the president’s vision, what we spend on interest on our national debt by 2022 will surpass that which we spend to protect and defend our nation. This is the same approach we have seen time and time again from this administration that continues to lead America down the same path we have been on for the past seven years: one with fewer jobs, lower wages, less opportunity and less security.

The president’s defense of a broken status quo has even received substantial opposition from members of his own party when they have had to actually vote for or against the budgets he proposes. In the days to come, House Republicans will be offering a clear alternative to the president’s stale, big government policies. We will be presenting a positive vision for America’s future with a plan to strengthen our economy, rebuild confidence in our country, give our military the resources they need to carry out their missions, save and strengthen vital programs that will ensure health and retirement security for millions of Americans, and balance the budget. We refuse to accept the status quo. It’s time to look to the future with a budget that will actually meet the fiscal, economic and national security challenges of the 21st Century.”

U.S. Senator David Perdue:

“The only positive thing about this budget request is that it’s the last one we will receive from President Obama. Our country is facing a debt crisis and it is well past the tipping point. Americans cannot afford to send more money to Washington to pay for more government spending programs that are failing the very people they intended to help. Georgians sent me here to awaken Washington to this financial catastrophe. We can fix this mess and we have to start with changing the budget process. Every elected official in Washington needs to start saying four simple words Americans use all the time, ‘we cannot afford it.'”

Rep. Buddy Carter (R, GA-1):

“While disappointing, it comes as no surprise that President Obama’s final budget provides no plan to help American taxpayers or balance the budget. Even by increasing taxes by $3.4 trillion and spending by $2.5 trillion over the next decade, the budget released today confirms the deplorable reality that this president will leave office never providing a budget that balances. Instead, this budget will do nothing more than increase burdens on hardworking Americans by failing to enact any true spending reforms to rein in Washington’s spending addiction. It is past time to cut up the credit cards and institute true fiscal solutions to grow our economy and create a better future for our children and grandchildren. While this irresponsible wish list will do neither, we are already working in the United States House of Representatives to provide meaningful solutions that will.”

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson:

“What President Obama is offering is more of the same: Higher taxes, increased spending, his 8th consecutive annual deficit and debt as far as the eye can see. This president is already on track to raise our out-of-control national debt by nearly as much as our first 43 presidents combined, and his latest budget doubles down on that path for the next decade.

The president’s budget further demonstrates that his priorities are out of step with the needs of hardworking Georgians. For example, he actually proposes cutting critical public health programs such as helping states clean up the rivers and lakes that supply our drinking water, as well as reducing the Army Corps of Engineers’ budget by over 20 percent, making it harder to keep important infrastructure projects such as the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project running on time and on budget.

At the same time, he is calling for a new oil tax that would hit families and commuters. This new tax wouldn’t pay for fixing our roads and bridges, but instead would finance a massive new ‘green’ transportation program that will reward politically connected interests. This budget is a carbon copy of the same liberal agenda and wasted opportunities that this president has presented to Congress year after year.

I will continue to work relentlessly in the Senate to end this harmful, out-of-control spending by the Obama administration because I refuse to mortgage my grandchildren’s future.”

Rep. Rob Woodall (R, GA-7):

“A budget is an indication of one’s priorities; and sadly the President’s is another wish-list of expanded federal government, higher taxes, and far-left ideology. It raises taxes by $3.4 trillion, increases federal spending by $2.5 trillion over the next 10 years, and only compounds the economic and national security challenges we face. Americans deserve a clear alternative to the President’s vision. One that prioritizes American safety, strengthens Social Security and Medicare, and balances the budget.”

Gov. Nathan Deal on Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) shortfall in the FY17 Budget:

“Georgia taxpayers have already invested, in advance, the state’s full local share to SHEP. As we’ve fulfilled our commitment, which amounts to roughly $266 million, we continue to look to the federal government to do the same. While the president’s FY17 budget request includes an additional $42.7 million, it’s less than half of what is needed to ensure SHEP construction progresses steadily, resources are allocated efficiently and Georgia’s taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately. That request, which underfunds arguably the most critical dredging project in the country, appears to be the largest of any deep draft navigation projects in the president’s budget. This underscores yet again the need for greater investment by the federal government.

I will be calling once again on our partners in the Congressional delegation, who have advocated tirelessly for SHEP funding. I’m confident they will do everything possible to prioritize funding for the Army Corps of Engineers’ SHEP construction to ensure the project stays on track for completion within five years. The federal government gave Georgia its word and must do more to uphold its obligations.”