Testifying before the House Budget Committee today, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke acknowledged that — contrary to most Democratic claims — bringing spending levels down and getting federal finances under control is one of the best ways for congress to promote economic growth in the short term:
Ryan: “Just to summarize, you do believe that one of the best things we can do for short-term economic growth is to put out a plan that actually stabilizes our fiscal picture, that actually gets our liabilities under control, and shows, with confidence, that we have the right trajectory because we’ve addressed the programs — which are spending programs — that are getting us out of control. Is that the case?”
Bernanke: “That’s correct.”