Hatch calls Dems' budget a ‘cynical, political document’

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said that the budget proposed by Senate Democrats was a “cynical, political document.”

“The budget we’ll be debating next week is a cynical, political document,” Hatch said on the Senate floor Thursday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he wants to take up the budget resolution next week in order to complete work on it before the Easter recess.

Hatch criticized the plan proposed by Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.), saying it did nothing to tackle entitlement reform.

“This lack of attention to entitlements sends a clear message to young people and that’s, ‘we don’t care if our social safety net is there for you,’” Hatch said. “This budget is not about dealing with reality. It’s about politics pure and simple.”

Hatch said Murray’s plan would increase taxes by $1.5 trillion over 10 years; Murray has said her plan increases revenue by slightly less than $1 trillion. Her plan also contains an equal number of spending cuts, whereas the House Republican budget from Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) would cut $5.7 trillion of planned spending to balance the budget over 10 years.

Democrats have said Ryan’s plan “guts Medicare.” But Hatch said the Democrats’ budget doesn’t address entitlement reform. Hatch said he’s been trying to partner with Democrats on entitlement reform since the beginning of the year.

“It’s clear that I shouldn’t be looking to anyone who votes for this budget to partner on bipartisan entitlement reform,” Hatch said. “The budget proposed by the Democrats on the Budget Committee is fiscally irresponsible.”

Murray’s committee is expected to pass her budget on a party-line vote later Thursday, so that it can be brought to the Senate floor next week.

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