WASHINGTON, D.C. – The North Coast's congressman said he won't support a budget plan put forth by the House Budget Committee because the deep $6 billion in spending cuts it proposes would come at the expense of American families.

Congressman Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena), a senior member of the House Committee on Ways & Means and the Blue Dog Coalition, said the country's debt crisis is a serious problem, and concrete action to decrease spending, increase saving, and balance the budget is needed to keep the national solvent.

But, “it’s important that we accomplish these goals in the right way,” he said.

“Unfortunately, the majority’s budget would hurt working families, seniors, children, and our middle class. This isn’t a workable approach if we’re going to achieve the broad bipartisan agreement necessary to enact a responsible budget.”

In a March 18 statement, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan criticized President Barack Obama's budget, saying it spent too much, taxed too much and borrowed too much.

“In the weeks ahead, the House Budget Committee will lead where the president has failed. In sharp contrast to the empty promises and diminished future offered by the president’s budget, we will chart a path to real security and a prosperous future,” Ryan said. “The American people demand – and deserve – honest leadership on our greatest fiscal and economic challenges.”

But that budget isn't going over well with members of Congress like Thompson, who said it slashes some of the most important investments and programs relied on by American families.

“The proposed budget would privatize Medicare, forcing seniors into the private health insurance market to shop for coverage with a government voucher,” Thompson said.

He explained that it also would mandate a block grant of federal Medicaid spending, severely undercutting California and other states’ ability to provide health care to our most vulnerable citizens. \

Additionally, the budget would establish an unprecedented fast track process to force Congress to cut Social Security benefits, jeopardizing the program for future generations, he said.

“In any budget discussion, all options should be on the table to start,” Thompson said. “But if the final plan hurts more Americans than it helps, then it’s time to reassess these options.”

Thompson said he he's not afraid to cut spending where it’s deserved, “but I won’t support a budget that decreases smart investments, increases bad ones and threatens our country’s fragile economic recovery.”

He added, “Moving forward, I hope the majority is willing to take a step back, reassess its priorities, and work across the political aisle to develop a viable alternative that puts America and the American people on a path toward long-term fiscal success.”

Thompson held a budget town hall in Lakeport in February in which he pointed to the need for serious budget reforms, including corporate tax structure, but worried that deep cuts in some programs might push the country's recovery backward, as Lake County News has reported.

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