Congressman Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District) issued the following statement on Monday after President Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion budget proposal for the 2013 Fiscal Year, which begins on October 1st. The President’s plan forecasts another $1.33 trillion deficit and calls for raising taxes by $1.9 trillion to fuel government spending:

"The President should have released this budget on Groundhog Day because it is a repeat of his previous three budget proposals: higher taxes, more debt and no real solutions for eliminating wasteful Washington spending. It is extremely disappointing that the President seems eager to accelerate America's descent down the same path as Greece and other European nations that have refused to confront their unsustainable spending habits. Four consecutive years of $1 trillion budget deficits, and raising taxes by $1.9 trillion, will not help the nearly 13 million Americans out of work find jobs or encourage greater investment and innovation needed to help businesses of all sizes grow. Furthermore, the President has once again abdicated his leadership responsibility to offer meaningful and constructive proposals for reforming Medicare and Medicaid so these programs are there for future generations.”