2012 North Dakota Senate Debates: on Budget & Economy


Heidi Heitkamp: Quit playing blame game & pass Balanced Budget Amendment

Democrats are failing to slow the nation's growing $16 trillion debt because they won't agree on budget and tax reforms in the Senate, Berg said.

Berg said a new, comprehensive federal budget was the best strategy for reining in the growth of the nation's budget deficits, and that the Democratic-controlled Senate has not approved one in more than three years. "If we're going to solve a family problem, or a small-business problem, the first step is, you need a budget," Berg said. "We need a budget that comes to closure, so people can see we're going to balance it."

Heitkamp praised a budget plan she said was put forward by Sen. Tom Coburn, a conservative Republican from Oklahoma. She also backs a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution, she said. "I think the path forward is, quit playing the blame game. I think it's atrocious we don't have a budget, but I think that the reason why we don't have a budget is because both political parties refuse to solve the problem."

Source: Connecticut Post on 2012 N.D. Senate debate Oct 25, 2012

Rick Berg: We need a budget that comes to closure, and reins in deficit

Democrats are failing to slow the nation's growing $16 trillion debt because they won't agree on budget and tax reforms in the Senate, Berg said.

Berg said a new, comprehensive federal budget was the best strategy for reining in the growth of the nation's budget deficits, and that the Democratic-controlled Senate has not approved one in more than three years. "If we're going to solve a family problem, or a small-business problem, the first step is, you need a budget," Berg said. "We need a budget that comes to closure, so people can see we're going to balance it."

Heitkamp praised a budget plan she said was put forward by Sen. Tom Coburn, a conservative Republican from Oklahoma. She also backs a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution, she said. "I think the path forward is, quit playing the blame game. I think it's atrocious we don't have a budget, but I think that the reason why we don't have a budget is because both political parties refuse to solve the problem."

Source: Connecticut Post on 2012 N.D. Senate debate Oct 25, 2012

Duane Sand: Wouldn't have voted to raise the debt ceiling

Sand said a major difference between himself and Berg is that he wouldn't have voted to raise the debt ceiling. "I'm not a go-along-to-get-along politician," Sand said. "I'm not going to cave in to poor decisions by Republican leadership in Washington."
Source: Bismarck Tribune on 2012 N.D. Senate debate May 20, 2012

  • The above quotations are from 2012 North Dakota Senate Debate.
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  • Click here for more quotes by Heidi Heitkamp on Budget & Economy.
  • Click here for more quotes by Rick Berg on Budget & Economy.
Candidates and political leaders on Budget & Economy:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R)
Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R)
Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 04, 2018