This year, the federal government will run a deficit of nearly $300 billion – the fourth-worst deficit in American history.  In the last six years, our country's national debt has increased from about $6 trillion to nearly $10 trillion.  Much of this new debt is owned by countries like China, Saudi Arabia and Japan.

While our fiscal policies have created this new debt, we have done nothing to lower gas prices, lower the cost of health care or the boost wages for middle-class Americans.  Congresswoman DeLauro understands that as middle-class families are being forced to work harder than ever to make ends meet, the last thing they need is a tax increase.  That is why she supports common-sense tax cuts for working families, including an end to the marriage penalty, an expansion of the Child Tax Credit, and providing tax credits for families facing long-term health care needs.

Congresswoman DeLauro has consistently supported Democratic efforts to restore sanity to the federal budget.  This year, she supported a measure that would have balanced the budget by 2012, provided tax relief to middle-class families and spared the country the damaging cuts to education, health care or veterans' benefits that ended up in the House-passed budget.