Tonight, Congressman Mike Ross (D-AR), Co-Chair of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, released the following statement in response to President Obama’s State of the Union Address:”I am encouraged to hear the President emphasize the need for shared sacrifice. Rather than continuing to play the blame game, it is time for members on both sides of the aisle to put down the talking points and come together to find common ground.

Today, Congressman Mike Ross (D-AR), co-chair of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, issued the following statement on the proposed rules package for the 112th Congress:”For years the Blue Dogs led the fight to restore the same, proven pay-as-you-go rules that brought about the surpluses of the 1990’s. Last year we saw those efforts come to fruition when statutory PAYGO was signed into law.

Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 2142, “The Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010,” clearing the bill for the President’s signature. The legislation, championed by Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, will bring increased transparency and accountability to the federal government by implementing the same results oriented approach that has improved the value and efficiency of state-level programs across the country.

Today, Representative Jim Matheson (D-UT), Co-Chair of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, issued the following statement after the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform released its comprehensive report to address the nation’s long-term fiscal crisis.

Today, President Obama signed into law the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act, bipartisan legislation to eliminate $110 billion in waste, fraud and abuse resulting from poor oversight and accountability on the part of federal government agencies. This legislation, championed by Representative Patrick Murphy of Pennsylvania, is a major element of the Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform.

Today, under the leadership of Representative Glenn Nye (D-VA) and Representative Charlie Wilson (D-OH), members of the Blue Dog Coalition will introduce the Stop Waste by Eliminating Excessive Programs Act (SWEEP Act), legislation that would reduce unnecessary and wasteful government spending by creating a means to review and abolish federal programs that are inefficient, duplicative, or in other ways wasteful of taxpayer dollars.

Today, for the first time in over 10 years, the House voted to give pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules the force of law, a move that would bring a level of fiscal discipline to the federal government not seen since Congress balanced the budget in the 1990’s.

Today, under the leadership of Representative Scott Murphy of New York, members of the Blue Dog Coalition will introduce the Tax Information for New Fiscal Oversight (INFO) Act, a commonsense budget enforcement tool that would require The Joint Committee on Tax (JCT) to provide Congress and the public with a straightforward analysis of each provision in the tax code. The Tax INFO Act, the latest component of the Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform, would take real steps to make the federal government more accountable to American taxpayers.

Today, members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, under the leadership of Representative Kurt Schrader (D-OR), announced their plans to introduce the “Preventing Waste, Fraud and Abuse Act of 2010,” a critical component of the Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Reform. This legislation fulfills the program integrity component of the blueprint by making strategic investments in programs aimed at preventing wasteful government spending.

Members of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition have officially endorsed legislation calling for public input in the redistricting process, a step toward easing the partisan gridlock that often blocks bipartisan solutions to the challenges facing our country. The bipartisan “Redistricting Transparency Act” (HR 4918) is led by Blue Dog founding member Representative John Tanner (TN) and Representative Mike Castle (R-DE).