I'm Fighting for Fiscal Discipline
Statement
President Obama and I have wide disagreements over what should be done with the U.S. economy.
I and other fiscally conservative members of Congress are deeply worried about the ballooning deficits that threaten our nation's ability to pay its bills -- and by the likelihood that this problem will be passed along to our children and grandchildren.
The differences in approach to this problem are stark. They came into full view recently, when the president sent his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2013 to Congress. I had hoped to see that the president was committed to:
* Bringing spending under control.
* Balancing the budget.
* Paying down the debt.
* Encouraging economic growth.
Instead, what I saw was more out-of-control spending and higher taxes.
Our first goal should be to create an environment wherein job creators are confident enough to invest again. This means eliminating bureaucratic regulations and paying down the debt. These actions will provide some certainty to our economy.
It is an approach that every American can understand: Don't spend money you don't have, and don't go into debt if you can avoid it. This is the same simple arithmetic that every family in the country does.
Unfortunately, the president's budget is based on the same old irresponsible formula. The spending would start immediately, raising the projected deficit for the current fiscal year to $1.3 trillion -- the fourth straight year with a deficit of more than $1 trillion. And, it would continue for the next 10 years. Over that time, the average annual deficit would be $725 billion.
To pay for all of this spending, the president proposes to increase taxes by $1.9 trillion. That's no way to revive our struggling economy.
There's a way to create jobs and to get this economy moving that doesn't include higher taxes and more spending. That way is called fiscal discipline.
I favor cutting taxes, getting rid of job-killing regulations, halting the spending of money we don't have, and paying down the federal debt.
I look forward to fighting for fiscal discipline on the House floor.
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