Congressman Phil Gingrey, MD Georgia's 11th district

Washington - U.S. Congressman Phil Gingrey voted today to pass H.R. 4241, the Deficit Reduction Act. This legislation reforms key government programs and achieves $54 billion in savings.

“Today, Congress voted to treat our federal budget like a family budget,” said Gingrey. “We assessed our spending priorities, made the tough decisions, and tightened our belt. And our government is on sounder financial footing because of it.”

“The fact of the matter is, there are many places where our bureaucracy is bloated and our programs are redundant or ineffective,” Gingrey continued. “Congress has worked incredibly hard to identify these instances, and now we can pay off our bills with the savings.”

The Deficit Reduction Act contains provisions that trim the deficit and reform government programs including:

* Strengthening Medicaid by adopting provisions offered by the bi-partisan National Governors Association, including closing loopholes for the wealthy and instituting more accurate prescription drug pricing mechanisms;

* Restricting illegal immigrant access to food stamps and Medicaid;

* Rebuilding community first responder capabilities by freeing up vital spectrum airwaves;

* Protecting workers’ pensions by placing the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) on a more solid financial foundation and protecting taxpayers from the cost of a massive bailout.