Letter to the Speaker of the House on Modification of Provisions of the Federal Budget Agreement

Dear Mr. Speaker:

I understand that the House Democratic Caucus has approved a rule for consideration by the House that would begin to undo the recently enacted Budget Agreement.

This rule would change the new pay-as-you-go enforcement mechanism by overturning a specifically negotiated and agreed scoring provision. More important, if the proposed rule is adopted, the House of Representatives will have begun the 102nd Congress by undercutting the credibility of the entire Budget Agreement. If specifically negotiated and agreed provisions are to be undone before the ink is dry, how can we expect the Agreement to be taken seriously? Where, one might reasonably ask, is the process of erosion to stop?

Abandonment of the Agreement would undermine hard-earned confidence in the U.S. Government's improved ability to control Federal spending. To undermine such confidence in the current economic circumstances seems to me to be particularly unwise.

In order to preserve the integrity of the Budget Agreement, I urge you to prevent the adoption of any rule that would violate our Agreement. And in order to preserve confidence in that Agreement, I must advise you that I will veto any bill that contains language such as that specified in the rule approved by the Democratic Caucus.

Sincerely,

George Bush