WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement today regarding the Ryan-Murray budget plan:

"I appreciate the efforts of Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray to work together in an attempt to get our spending under control. Unfortunately, the final agreement falls far short of making the meaningful spending reforms we need to address our out-of-control debt and deficit.

"The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 replaces sequester spending cuts with a spending increase of $63 billion over two years, split between defense and non-defense programs. This increased spending is paid for through increased aviation fees, changes in retirement pay for the Armed Forces, and the promise of future mandatory spending reductions – much of which will take place a decade from now.

“What remains missing from this agreement is a genuine effort to address the real cause of our debt problems: mandatory spending. As long as the solvency and unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare remain ignored in favor of minor tweaks to discretionary spending, our budget crisis will never go away.

"While I didn't vote for sequestration, the reality is it forced Washington to acknowledge the hard truth of our spending and set budget caps. It is disappointing to see Congress change the law to increase spending now while delaying further spending cuts until many years in the future. With the national debt soaring above $17 trillion, we should not allow ourselves to – yet again – postpone responsible fiscal policy.”

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