Reed Opposes Mulvaney as Budget Chief

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Jack Reed issued the following statement in
opposition to the confirmation of U.S. Representative Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) to be the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB):

«Congressman Mulvaney is an inappropriate choice for budget director. He once voted
to declare Social Security and Medicare ‘unconstitutional’ and has a record of
supporting policies that would harm working families and our economy.

«During his tenure in the House, Congressman Mulvaney has been a cheerleader for
government shut downs and defaults. He put our economy at risk by trying to use the
full faith and credit of the United States as a bargaining chip in order to secure
draconian, across the board budget cuts.

«If Congressman Mulvaney is confirmed we will have a huge fight on our hands to
protect Social Security, Medicare, and other essential programs that working
Americans rely on. He has called Social Security a Ponzi scheme and said: «We have
to end Medicare as we know it.»

«Let’s be clear: when you force a person to wait two or three more years to begin
collecting the full benefits they have earned, it is a cut. And if poor health
forces someone to begin collecting benefits before reaching the normal retirement
age, he or she could see a significant reduction in monthly benefits.

«We need an OMB Director who believes in good government and can help solve our
nation’s spending, deficit, and debt challenges. Congressman Mulvaney’s policy
prescriptions will hurt working families.»