Budget
As a current member of the Joint Economic Committee and a former Chair of the Joint Finance Committee in the Wisconsin State Assembly, I believe our budgets should serve as a reflection of our values.
I support a budget that makes investments in our future generations and protects programs that advance our entire society. I believe our budget should strengthen Social Security and Medicare, and invest in job growth through infrastructure, education, and research and development, while responsibly reducing our deficits and cutting wasteful spending and redundant programs where they exist.
More on Budget
Wisconsin Gazette
Wisconsin Congressman Mark Pocan, a Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said on March 12 that colleague Paul Ryan's budget proposal does not reflect the values of their state.
The budget committee, which Ryan chairs, is expected to consider the proposal on March 13.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), a member of the House of Representatives Committee on the Budget, today commented on the budget released by committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (WI-01). The Budget Committee is scheduled to consider Ryan’s budget proposal tomorrow.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a member of the House Budget Committee, today issued the following statement after he voted against a funding bill that would keep the irresponsible $85 billion sequestration cuts in place. While the legislation includes funding for the Department of Defense and the Military Construction--Veteran Affairs at fiscal year 2013 levels, all other departments would be funded at fiscal year 2012 levels, which were put in place more than 15 months ago.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) today urged the House Republican leadership to bring Congress back in session to work on a balanced solution to avert the sequester. House leadership ended the work week yesterday afternoon without taking action on the $85 billion in indiscriminate, across-the-board spending cuts that the government will begin to initiate today.
Sarah Olson, WisPolitics
U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan today said Congress needs to focus on economic growth and job creation instead of spending cuts, criticizing the impending sequester for its austerity in his debut speech on the floor of the House.
Pocan, D-Madison, said supporting education, infrastructure, research and new industries such as green energy will promote job growth and help fix the nation’s fiscal problems. He called the sequester “irresponsible,” and said it could cost Wisconsin 36,000 jobs.
“It’s like taking a meat cleaver to the budget instead of a scalpel,” Pocan said.
WASHINGTON—Unless Congress takes action, in just four days the government will initiate $85 billion in automatic spending cuts that will severely impact Wisconsin schools, seniors and small businesses. Following a report released by the White House last night that highlighted the specific effects of these cuts on the Badger state, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) once again called on his colleagues in Washington to come to the table and work on a balanced plan to avoid this unnecessary crisis.
The Capital Times, Editorial
Accurately describing the March 1 "sequestration" as a "budget tornado" that will undermine jobs, education and health care in Wisconsin, Congressman Mark Pocan is proposing smart alternatives to dumb cuts.
"We've already seen some of the impacts, because you have to plan," says Pocan, who has been working with Wisconsin Citizen Action to highlight the impact that sequester cuts would have on the Badger state. "You just can't keep punting and not deal with it."
Pocan's proposal is a simple one: Congress should do its job.