“[T]he real point here is that there is a serious issue about how much spending and how much debt is piling up on the backs of the American people.” – Republican Leader John Boehner, 6/17/09
“And for the sake of our children and our long-term fiscal viability, Washington must stop spending money that it doesn’t have.” – Republican Whip Eric Cantor, 7/11/09
“What we need is fiscal discipline for Washington, D.C... That's the Republican prescription for a real recovery, and we ought to get on with it.” – Rep. Mike Pence, 7/13/09
“The Republicans are the champions of fiscal responsibility.” – Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), 6/14/07
“We took it in the shorts with Bush-Cheney, the Iraq War, and by sacrificing fiscal responsibility to hold power.” – Republican Leader John Boehner, 6/11/09
PAYGO is a common sense idea that has historically received bipartisan support:
It was originally enacted as part of a budget agreement between a Republican President and a Democratic Congress in 1990
It was extended in 1997 by a Democratic President and a Republican Congress
The effort to extend the PAYGO rule in the Senate in 2002 was supported by several moderate Republicans, including John McCain
When the House adopted the PAYGO rule as part of the House rules package in 2007, 48 Republicans voted for the portion of the package that included PAYGO – 33 of whom are still in the House
