WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a member of the Senate Budget Committee, today said that members of the House-Senate budget conference should focus on tackling Washington’s spending addiction, not raising taxes on American workers and job creators.

“This budget process should be focused on the government’s spending problem,” Wicker said. “I will not accept tax increases as part of any potential budget deal. Asking American workers to send more of their paychecks to Washington will hurt growth, and taking money from job creators will hurt job creation. Revenues should come through economic growth and pro-growth tax reform – not tax hikes.”

Wicker’s comments came during a budget conference between the House and Senate – the first such process in four years. The conference was established by the legislative agreement to reopen the government on October 16.

“There is widespread bipartisan agreement that we must slow the rate of growth for government programs on auto-pilot,” Wicker continued. “Even President Obama’s most recent budget proposal includes this type of modest reform. Slowing the growth rate of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will enable us to preserve these valuable programs for future retirees and beneficiaries. We can and should do this without cutting benefits. No one is proposing cuts to beneficiaries.

“I am hopeful this budget conference will provide Congress the opportunity to rise to the occasion and be problem-solvers for the American people.”

The budget conference committee is responsible for returning a spending plan to both chambers of Congress by December 13.