River Bend Times

Ranking Member Chuck Grassley and eight Senate Budget Committee Republicans have urged Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse and majority committee members to focus on fiscal matters, redirecting the committee's attention from climate change to constructing a sound budget. Grassley and his colleagues emphasized the need for the Budget Committee to prioritize the nation's fiscal health, stating, "Our constituents deserve a Budget Committee that works diligently to find common ground on ways to put our nation on a sustainable fiscal path, rather than preening for the cameras."

The Republican senators highlighted projections by the Congressional Budget Office to underscore the urgency of addressing the nation's fiscal challenges. Grassley and his colleagues expressed concerns about the committee's focus on climate change hearings, urging a shift towards addressing the skyrocketing debt and deficits facing the country, emphasizing the need to focus on the immediate dangers falling under the committee's prime responsibility.

In response to Chairman Whitehouse's letter and accusations regarding climate change, Grassley and the Republicans asserted, "Your accusations that anyone who does not share your faith in climate doomsday predictions is beholden to fossil fuel overlords or a climate change denier are out of line." They stressed the importance of the Budget Committee's role in drafting a budget and criticized the committee's allocation of time to climate change hearings over core responsibilities.

The Republican senators expressed their commitment to addressing the nation's fiscal trajectory, highlighting the need to reduce spending and place the country on a sustainable fiscal track. They emphasized the importance of focusing on fiscal matters and finding common ground to move legislative priorities forward, urging a shift away from the current climate-focused agenda of the committee.

Grassley and his colleagues concluded by reiterating their dedication to addressing the fiscal challenges facing the nation, stating, "Denying the problem, or wishing it away, or ignoring its systemic economic dangers just won’t work." The Republican senators emphasized the need for the Budget Committee to prioritize fiscal policy and work towards putting the nation on a sustainable fiscal path.