WASHINGTON — Today, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget proposal.

“For six years the president has pursued higher taxes and higher spending, and our economy has paid the price. This budget is simply more of the same. The American people are working harder than ever to get ahead, and this administration wants to put up yet another roadblock: $2.1 trillion in new taxes. And despite this massive tax hike, the President’s budget never balances, adding $8.5 trillion in more debt. This is simply unacceptable.

“I want to work with this administration, and I hope that we can find common ground. But the President has to demonstrate that he’s interested in governing, not just posturing. Tackling big policy challenges—like expanding American exports and reforming our tax code—requires not just hard work, but also an appreciation that our economy grows best from the bottom up with empowered individuals, rather than top down through government. We’re going to be focused on an optimistic agenda to move America forward, and I hope the president is willing to rethink his tax-and-spend approach so we can get things done for the American people.”

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