Press Releases

U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairman John Kline (R-MN) today released the following statement on President Obama’s $3.8 trillion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2014:

Years of reckless spending and borrowing have led to the weakest economic recovery since the Great Depression. The president had an opportunity today to offer a new vision for our country, one that would encourage job creation and economic growth. Instead, he offered no new ideas to address the significant challenges facing American families.

For the fifth year in a row, we do not have a plan from the president that will balance the budget. We do not have a plan from the president that will end Washington’s spending addiction. We do not have a plan from the president that will rein in the deficit without raising taxes on families and small businesses. And we do not have a plan from the president that will preserve the safety net for our nation’s seniors and vulnerable families.

On Student Loan Interest Rates:

I welcome the president’s efforts to take politicians out of the equation when it comes to calculating student loan interest rates. My Republican colleagues and I have long believed returning to a market-based system for determining interest rates just makes sense, and will provide more stability for borrowers. However, the devil is in the details. We look forward to a thorough discussion with the administration to determine whether the proposal outlined in the budget will effectively serve students, families, and taxpayers in the long run.

On Job Training:

A massive federal bureaucracy prevents workers from accessing the skills and training they need to get back on their feet. Through the SKILLS Act, the House advanced reforms that will clean up the maze of confusing programs and help ensure a more efficient and effective network of job training assistance. But instead of joining that effort, the president’s budget would pile even more programs and spending onto the broken workforce development system. America’s taxpayers and job seekers deserve better.

Conclusion:

The American people have already paid for the president’s failed policies through high unemployment and soaring national debt. They shouldn’t be faced with another deluge of job-destroying tax hikes to foot the bill for more wasteful spending and even bigger government. Despite the president’s missed opportunity, Republicans will not stop working toward the bold reforms needed to get our economy moving again and put Americans back to work. We are determined to offer fresh ideas and advance commonsense solutions that will support a stronger middle class, a leaner federal government, and a brighter future for our children.

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