Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky says he couldn't get behind fellow Republican Congressman Paul Ryan's budget despite its call for reduced government spending.
"The Democrats want to grow our government spending by 5.2 percent each year, and the Paul Ryan budget would grow it up to 3.5 percent each year," Massie, one of 12 Republicans to veto the budget, told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.
"Most of my constituents are not satisfied that limiting the growth of government to 3.5 percent each year is fiscally responsible enough.
"So we need something where we throw out baseline budgeting, and we start with a zero baseline budget each year."
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The final budget proposal of Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican whose term as chairman of the House Budget Committee is expiring, was approved by the House on Thursday by a vote of 219-205.
Massie said the fact that more fellow Republicans didn't vote to oppose the Ryan financial plan is "a reflection of where we really are" in Washington, D.C.
"The Paul Ryan budget is about as far as you can get in Washington, D.C., among Republicans," he said.
"So even though Republicans are in the majority, conservatives are not, we need to keep that in mind and not you know, I would like to applaud Mr. Ryan for some of the reforms that he's got in his bill. He's taking a lot of flak for them, but that's just the start."
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