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:

“All Americans should be deeply alarmed that our nation’s annual budget deficit has now surpassed $1 trillion in just eleven months. Both parties must come together now to stop the bleeding and avoid further and accelerating damage to not only our fiscal stability, but also our national security. As we address urgent issues, skyrocketing interest payments on the debt will limit our ability to make necessary investments going forward. It is unconscionable for us to continue to spend today the resources that future generations will need to address their own challenges tomorrow. This summer, we released the Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform, which included bipartisan fixes Congress can make right now to start getting our fiscal house in order. Congress should bring these solutions to the floor for a vote.”

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