Capitol Words a project of the Sunlight Foundation

Rep. Tim Walberg

Hardworking taxpayers in Michigan and across the country live within their means in large part because they create responsible budgets. It's only natural that they expect the same from their government. A balanced budget is important to those of us who want to protect and save Medicare and Social Security. It's also important to the young workers and families who cannot afford to see their taxes go up. Unfortunately, the Senate and President have repeatedly failed at this basic duty.

Last year, the President sent Congress a budget that never balanced, while the Senate hadn't the courage to even produce a budget in nearly 4 years. However, since the American people entrusted the Republicans with the majority in the House, my colleagues and I have twice passed a responsible budget to address our mounting debt and promote a healthy economy.

Today, we'll also pass the Require a PLAN Act, which would obligate the President to submit a budget that balances within 10 years, or provide a supplemental budget plan identifying when the Federal budget would balance.

We believe there is a better way to tackle our Nation's debt than higher taxes and the President's sequester. Together we can produce solutions that get our debt crisis under control. Our neighbors and our families deserve our best effort.