Recent Press Releases

Washington, D.C. —  Senator John Thune today made the following remarks after the Senate vote of 41 to 57 on his alternative amendment to the Democrats' Tax Extenders Bill currently before the Senate:

"The alternative amendment I proposed was a common sense step toward restoring fiscal sanity to our nation's runaway spending and ballooning deficit," said Thune. "The defeat of my amendment was a missed opportunity for Congress to prove they are serious about tackling our dangerous spending habits and $13 trillion national debt. This amendment would have lowered taxes for families and small businesses as they struggle through these challenging times."

The competing proposal sponsored by Senator Baucus would increase spending by over $100 billion, includes over $70 billion in new taxes, and increases the deficit by over $50 billion over the next 10 years. Thune's amendment stood in stark contrast to the Democrats' proposal and would have cut taxes by $26 billion by extending current law, cut spending by over $100 billion, and reduced the deficit by $68 billion, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.

Under Democrat leadership in the Senate this year, over $200 billion has been voted on since passage of the PAYGO law. Due to these spending measures, our national debt recently surpassed $13 trillion and the President's budget would add another $10 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years. The Thune amendment would have been a first step toward reining in the federal budget, cutting spending, and reducing deficits without imposing additional burdens on the private sector.

"Americans deserve more than endless tax and spending increases that continue to force massive amounts of debt on to the backs of future generations," said Thune. "Unfortunately, Congress wasted yet another opportunity today to listen to the American people and provide solutions to the formidable economic challenges facing our nation."