Tim Ryan: Can’t Fill a Pothole with Tax Cut
on Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Tim Ryan Money Quotation saying republicans in congress are insisting on tax cuts to balance the federal budget, ignoring revenue side of equation. Tim Ryan said:
“Maybe we do need to trim some spending, but we also need revenue. Again, you can’t fill a pothole with a tax cut. You can’t put in special operations forces with a tax cut. You can’t build a missile defense system with a tax cut. You need to make these investments” — Tim Ryan
In this quote, Congressman Tim Ryan is arguing against an exclusive focus on spending cuts to address budgetary issues. While acknowledging “some” trimming may be necessary, Ryan also believes new “revenue” or tax receipts are required to fund important public investments and services.
His view seems to be that reducing taxes alone cannot fulfill core government functions like infrastructure maintenance, national security programs, and more. Ryan implies that both spending discipline and adequate taxation are needed for the government to meet its obligations.
The quote conveys Ryan’s perspective that a balanced approach considering both outlays and incomes is most prudent for fiscal responsibility rather than an imbalanced emphasis only on one side of the ledger over the other.