Washington, D.C.– Senator Jim Risch joined his Republican colleagues in opposing the Fiscal Year 2010 Senate Budget Resolution that passed the U.S. Senate today on a 55-43 vote. The resolution provides the monetary blueprint for the Senate to follow as they prepare agency spending plans. Senate Concurrent Resolution 13 sets total spending at $3.53 trillion and estimates total revenues at $2.29 trillion, resulting in a $1.246 trillion deficit.

"Once again Congress is demonstrating that they cannot control their spending. We are in an economic crisis and the response is to spend, and then to spend some more! The debt that we are incurring in this and future budgets is staggering. The idea that you can tax more and spend more with no plan on how to reduce our debt shows just how out of control it is in Washington," said Risch.

"Instead of having thoughtful, deliberative discussions on important issues such as health care and an emissions cap-and-trade system, numbers are inserted into the budget like $600 billion from cap-and-trade fees that do not even exist and moved into a health care reserve fund," Risch said. "We have no idea if or how a cap-and-trade system for auctioning of emission permits will work. But Congress is already spending the money on a new health care system that has not yet been developed and may not even be developed. I believe the American people want real answers to our pressing problems, not budgetary smoke and mirrors."

Independent analysis of potential greenhouse gas regulations estimates that new rules could increase the cost of electricity by as much as 30 percent. Other studies show that energy costs could increase by $3,000 annually per family.

"We need to take a careful look at what we are doing," said Risch. "Ramming legislation through without input and review will do more harm than good to our economy and our citizens."