WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, today released the following statement in response to the President’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2016:

“Budgets reflect priorities, and it is clear that the President’s priorities include addressing the damaging effects of sequestration and rebuilding our nation’s vital infrastructure,” said Senator King. “We need a budget that addresses the needs and realities of everyday Americans and the President’s proposal is a start.  He plans to grow our economy by investing in roads and bridges. And he plans to put an end to the days of sequestration which has only compromised our national defense, put our nation’s security in jeopardy, and threatened jobs at places like Bath Iron Works.

“In the coming weeks, the Congress has some tough choices to make. For me, this debate begins and ends with finding solutions to pay for our spending that put Maine’s economy first, that put families working to balance their own budgets first, and that ensure the way we run our government doesn’t come at the expense of hardworking Americans.”

King has been a critic of sequestration as a member of the Budget Committee, speaking out against its reduction of spending for discretionary programs as recently as last week during a hearing with Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Doug Elmendorf. In the hearing, King described sequestration as “like attacking Brazil after Pearl Harbor. It’s a vigorous reaction but it’s the wrong target.”

Following last week’s Budget Committee hearing, King continued his critique of sequestration during an Armed Services Committee hearing with the military service chiefs. King argued that sequestration was “expressly designed to be so stupid and unacceptable that Congress would never allow it to go into place.”

King has repeatedly called for increased investment in our nation’s roads and bridges. When the Highway Trust Fund was set to expire last summer, he spoke on the Senate floor about the important role the interstate highway system has played in propelling our country forward, and the need for a long-term approach to funding our nation’s critical infrastructure projects.

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