WASHINGTON, April 20 (UPI) -- Four budget watchdog groups Tuesday recommended the U.S. Congress re-establish the pay-as-you-go rule for tax cuts and entitlements.
The groups, including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Concord Coalition, the Committee for Economic Development and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, contend the rule's original form, which did not include exceptions for entitlement expansions or tax cuts, could be successfully implemented again because of its strong track record in times of big deficits.
"This budget-wide constraint (PAYGO) was an effective part of past bipartisan efforts to bring deficits under control. Renewing it would be the best first step to countering the current trend of digging an ever-deeper fiscal hole," the groups said in a joint statement.
But the Republican leadership in the House has not indicated support for reinstating PAYGO.
"We don't want to give up the right to give tax relief to the American people," House Majority Leader Tom Delay, R-Texas, told reporters.
