(Washington, DC) - Today Congressman Baron Hill traveled with President Obama and several members of the Indiana congressional delegation to and from Elkhart, Indiana, for a town hall meeting there.  In response, he issued the following statement:

“This trip afforded me a valuable opportunity to talk about issues of great importance to me and my constituents: a return to fiscal discipline and the Ohio River Bridges Project.

I reiterated my strong concern to the President about getting this country back to fiscally conservative budget principles, and in the long run, a balanced budget.  As I’ve said before, I strongly believe we must make pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budgeting rules law.  And, the President was very receptive to that idea.  The message has been delivered and tomorrow I will meet with President Obama, along with some of my Blue Dog Coalition colleagues to address this very issue.

I also spoke with our new Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood about the Ohio River Bridges Project.  My office is now in the process of setting up a meeting with Secretary LaHood to talk at length about the Bridges.  This project cannot be pushed back any longer and I will emphasize to Secretary LaHood just how important these bridges are to the residents and economy of Southern Indiana.”