March 25, 2015 - Voting on H. Con. Res. 27 – Federal Budget for Fiscal Year 2016 Congressman McClintock votes Yes. The Congressman said "Sadly, the final version of the House Budget as amended on the floor declines to pay for $22.5 billion in additional spending for defense and refugee resettlement that was added to the off-budget war account to satisfy “defense hawks.” Although technically this only affects spending for FY 2016, I fear it implicitly repudiates programmed reductions in 2017, without which the budget may not balance within ten years as called for in the version that passed the House Budget Committee. I addressed this issue in greater detail in my speech to the House of March 24.
Nevertheless, I still (unenthusiastically) support the final budget resolution for three principal reasons: 1) even with the unpaid defense plus-up, it continues to reduce the deficit into FY 2016; 2) it contains essential reforms to Medicare and Medicaid to prevent these programs from collapsing; and 3) if agreement is reached with the Senate, it sets in motion reconciliation instructions for the outright repeal of Obamacare."
