Under Pressure, Mike Haridopolos Comes Out Behind Paul Ryan's Budget Proposal

Under fire from his Republican rivals looking to run against Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, state Senate President Mike Haridopolos issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon insisting he backed the budget plan sponsored by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

I absolutely support the goals of the Ryan Plan to cut federal government deficit spending and applaud Representative Ryan's bold leadership in putting forth an intelligent and serious plan to tackle the largest issue confronting our nation, said Haridopolos. Representative Ryan's leadership in actually putting forth a plan to tackle the deficit is in stark contrast to the irresponsibility demonstrated by President Obama and the Democratic Senate who have failed to pass a budget for over 750 days, adding trillions to the debt during that time. While I support almost every provision of the Ryan Plan, I believe that it must be amended to provided greater protections for seniors.

Fighting for seniors is not new to me. One of the main reasons I fought Obamacare, including passing Florida's Health Care Freedom Act, is because of the devastating cuts it dealt to seniors, cutting $500 billion from Medicare to fund Obamacare-welfare programs, added Haridopolos. Again, I absolutely support the goals of the Ryan Plan and believe in almost all of the provisions to cut federal government deficit spending and address entitlements. As a candidate for the U.S. Senate, I am the only person in this race with a proven record of reforming entitlements [Medicaid, government pensions, and welfare] and a demonstrated commitment to making cuts to balance the budget in the state of Florida without increasing taxes or fees.