U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, released a federal budget plan for the 2012 fiscal year Tuesday, calling for $6.2 trillion in cuts he said would reduce the nation's deficit by $4.4 trillion over the next 10 years.
Ryan said in a statement his budget ""helps spur job creation today, stops spending money the government doesn't have, and lifts the crushing burden of debt.""
U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, said Ryan's proposal would make cuts to important government services such as education and health care.
""This is a budget that attacks the middle class and rewards the wealthy,"" Baldwin said in a statement.
Congressional Democrats and Republicans continued negotiations over a budget deal for the 2011 fiscal year Wednesday with the possibility of a government shutdown looming if an agreement is not reached by the end of the week.
Currently, Democrat and Republican negotiators have crafted bills with large differences in the size of cuts to the federal budget. If a deal is not reached by Friday, non-essential federal government services would shut down starting Saturday.
Baldwin said a shutdown would be detrimental to a recovering economy.
""It is time for Republican leaders to set aside their extreme partisanship and come to the negotiating table,"" Baldwin said.
