GOP bashes Obama's 2015 budget proposal in weekly address

Republican Sen. Rob Portman said President Obama's $3.9 trillion budget proposal for fiscal 2015 is the "same old story" Saturday during the weekly GOP address. "The President's budget this week asked for hundreds of billions in new government spending and over a trillion in new taxes," Portman said. "It's the same old story. Washington has tried more taxing, even more spending and an unprecedented amount of borrowing -- and yet here we are." Portman said the GOP's seven-step Jobs for America program can do all the things Obama's proposal can't. "We know we can do better, and it starts by putting our trust back in the American people. That's what's at the heart of Jobs for America, a seven-point plan put forward by Senate Republicans to bring back opportunity, spark an economic recovery and restore to every American a shot at the American Dream. It starts by getting government out of the way where we need to, whether it's healthcare, regulations, or taxation," Portman said. "Take Obamacare. I think it's clear to just about everybody, maybe except the president, that it's just not working. He promised people they could keep their healthcare plans, but they're losing them. He said costs would go down, but for many, they've soared," Portman said. "Let's replace Obamacare with reforms that put you back in charge of your own healthcare. Decisions about your health should be between you and your doctor, not a bureaucrat and an insurance company. Let's expand choice, rather than limiting it. Let's create jobs, instead of destroying them. And let's bring down the costs instead of driving them up. "A rising tide lifts all boats,' said John F. Kennedy. Let's enact these reforms. If we do, we'll see unemployment rates drop, we'll see incomes rise and we'll see the gap between the rich and the poor close, not because we are bringing people down but because we are bringing people up," he said.