Cole Statement on White House Debt Plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement after the Obama White House released its latest debt plan, which calls for $1.5 trillion in new taxes:

"This proposal is more about election year politics than deficit reduction. The fact that President Obama once again failed to propose serious reforms to entitlement programs -- which are the main drivers of the debt -- shows he is interested not in solving problems but in scoring political points.

"Sadly, this is typical of the president's approach to budgetary negotiations. The president failed to embrace the policies of his own debt commission, released a budget so unserious it was rejected 98-0 in the Senate, and failed to publicly put forward a plan during the debt ceiling debate.

"From a White House that has failed to lead on budget issues for two years now, releasing a new economic plan virtually every week smacks of political desperation. The country would be better served by serious dialogue rather than theatrics. "