AFP-OK State Director Stuart Jolly released the following statement regarding Senator Tom Coburn’s (R-Okla.) comments over the weekend calling for higher taxes.

“It’s a shame that such a stalwart conservative like Sen. Coburn is leading the charge to raise taxes on American families and businesses in this difficult economic climate. Dr. Coburn was a champion in the fight to end Washington’s earmark abuse and I commend him for those actions. Unfortunately, it seems he’s taken his eye off the ball.

“Big government advocates are always in need of more revenue and whenever their deficit spending gets out of control they clamor for higher taxes. Sen. Coburn is wrong to help them achieve their task.

“No one knows better than Sen. Coburn that Washington has a spending problem. The only way we are going to remedy that problem is by reforming the way government spends money. We need broad structural changes. I encourage Senator Coburn to abandon his effort to hike taxes and instead put his considerable talents behind cutting runaway federal spending.”