Fiscal Responsibility

The Blue Dog Coalition has a long history of leadership in addressing the nation’s fiscal challenges, and the members will continue to build on that record of accomplishment by advancing commonsense, middle-of-the-road policies to put the country back on a path to long-term fiscal sustainability.
 

113th Congress:

The Blue Dog Coalition remains fully committed to working with Republicans and Democrats to find a solution that reduces our long-term federal debt and deficits in a balanced, bipartisan fashion and in a way in which we do not stall our nation’s fragile economic recovery. 
 
In March 2013, the House of Representatives voted on a number of partisan budget proposals introduced by the Republican majority. At the time, Blue Dog Co-Chair for Communications, Rep. Kurt Schrader of Oregon, issued the following statement:
 
“This week members of the House of Representatives only had the option to vote on partisan budgets. Yet, we know that the only path to real fiscal reform will come through bipartisan compromise.” said Rep. Schrader. “After garnering strong disapproval of the Ryan budget from the American people, Blue Dogs had hoped that the Republican majority would begin to work across the aisle on a big, bold deficit reduction package that could pass in a divided Congress. Now that these partisan budget exercises are behind us we urge the President and Congressional leadership to finally get serious on a bipartisan plan that reduces our deficits, provides long-term economic certainty, and puts our country back on a path to fiscal sustainability.”
 
In April 2013, the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition formally endorsed a House resolution introduced by Budget Committee Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) urging the Speaker of the House to follow regular order, request a budget conference with the Senate and appoint conferees.
 

112th Congress:

2011 Blue Dog Benchmarks for Fiscal Reform
 
The Blue Dogs have adopted the Blue Dog Benchmarks for Fiscal Reform, an aggressive set of targets for long-term fiscal reform and deficit reduction that includes cutting the deficit by $4 trillion over the next 10 years, with the largest deficit cuts in history by 2014. 
  • Largest deficit cuts in history by 2014
  • Cut the deficit by $4 trillion over the next 10 years
  • Stabilize the debt and maintain a debt ratio to 60 percent of GDP by 2024
  • Return to 2008 spending levels by 2013
  • Reduce the deficit to 2.3 percent of GDP in 4 years
  • Reduce the size of government
  • Achieve deficit reduction with 2/3 spending cuts, 1/3 tax reform
  • Everything must be on the table:
    • Discretionary Spending Cuts – both security and non-security
    • Tax Reform
    • Entitlement Reform
    • Other Mandatory Policies
    • Process Reforms 

​2010 Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform

Our underlying structural deficits are the biggest threat to our economic security today.  As independent voices for fiscal responsibility and accountability, the Blue Dogs recognize that it’s time to change the way Washington operates and begin working together in earnest to develop solutions to these systemic problems. With the 2010 Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform the Blue Dogs put forth a real proposal to put the country back on a path to balanced budgets and long term fiscal sustainability.
 
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Blue Dog Coalition Policy Task Forces Release Recommendations for COVID-19 Pandemic Response

WASHINGTON—Today, the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition released its policy recommendations for both Congress and the Trump Administration to consider as they continue to respond to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The recommendations were developed within the policy parameters of the Blue Dog Coalition’s five policy task forces.

Blue Dogs Endorse Funding Deadline Enforcement Act

WASHINGTON—Today, the fiscally-responsible Blue Dog Coalition announced its endorsement of H.R. 5226, Funding Deadline Enforcement Act, which would force Congress to pass all appropriations bills on time instead of relying on temporary Continuing Resolutions (CRs). Specifically, the bill would prevent House and Senate members from using official Congressional funds to travel if they miss the annual October 1 deadline to send all appropriations bills to the President’s desk for a signature.

Blue Dogs Back Bipartisan Bill to Tackle Skyrocketing National Debt

WASHINGTON—Today, the fiscally-responsible Blue Dog Coalition has announced its endorsement of H.R. 5211, Sustainable Budget Act of 2019, which would create a fiscal commission with the goal of achieving a balanced budget within a decade. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Ed Case (HI-01), Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility, and Republican Congressman Steve Womack (AR-03).

Blue Dogs Urge House Leadership, Committee Chairs to Abide by PAYGO

WASHINGTON—Today, members of the fiscally-responsible Blue Dog Coalition sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, and Rep. Jim McGovern (MA-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Rules, calling for House leadership and committee chairs to abide by the bipartisan Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) rule, which requires Congress to pay for new priorities.

 

Blue Dog Statement on Federal Deficit Surpassing $1 Trillion

WASHINGTON—Today, the co-chairs of the Blue Dog Task Force on Fiscal Responsibility & Government Reform—Reps. Ed Case (HI-01) and Ben McAdams (UT-04)—issued the following statement in response to the latest report released by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), revealing that the federal deficit exceeded $1 trillion in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2019:

 

Blue Dogs Release Blueprint for Fiscal Reform

WASHINGTON—Today, members of the Blue Dog Coalition released a comprehensive plan to help restore fiscal discipline in Congress. The Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform outlines an extensive list of priorities that help reduce our budget deficits and begin to bring down our national debt. Today, the national debt is more than $22 trillion—an unprecedented amount. On the current path, next year, the federal government will spend more servicing interest on the debt than all federal funding that supports children in the United States.

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