A Report Card on the First 100 Days of the Obama Administration

I still remember the excitement in the air on January 20, when millions of Americans gathered on the National Mall to witness history. Given the flurry of activity from the new White House, it is hard to believe it has only been 100 days since President Barack Obama took office.

Now that the initial honeymoon period has passed and the nation begins to assess the Obama agenda, I fear that our children and grandchildren may come to regret a number of the early decisions made by President Obama and Congress.

Some of their decisions threaten to weaken our national security, like his early executive order to close Guantanamo Bay. Others are in stark contrast to the values of most Americans, such as lifting the ban on federally-funded abortions and taking government to an unmatched level of control by making business decisions for the GM Corporation.

Perhaps the biggest area of concern has been federal spending. In his first 100 days alone, President Obama has approved an unprecedented $1 trillion in stimulus spending, a $410 billion budget extender, the release of $350 billion in taxpayer-funded bank bailouts, and a new $3.5 trillion budget proposal with record deficits.

In terms of an average family, the rate at which the Obama budget spends and accrues debt is like a family making $50,000 a year, then putting another $37,500 on their credit card. Such spending is unsustainable, yet the Obama budget calls for these type of massive deficits each year for the next ten years.

Despite his promises to go through the federal budget line-by-line to find wasteful spending, President Obama has settled on asking federal agencies to find 0.0025% in their budget to cut. To put this proposal in perspective, it is like asking that family making $50,000 to cut $2.19 from their annual budget. It's always nice to cut back a little, but much more discipline is needed when trying to reduce a $37,500 credit card bill.

This out-of-control spending is part of what motivated me to introduce a balanced budget of my own. Our plan would have eliminated all congressional earmarks, reduced funding for more than 150 federal programs determined by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to be an ineffective use of taxpayer dollars, required a modest 1% cut from most federal agencies every year for ten years, while protecting funding growth for Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

I have been the first to point out when Republicans spent and taxed too much at the state and federal level, and I can assure you that out-of-control spending in Washington has been a problem under both parties. However, in his first 100 days in office, President Obama and his congressional allies have taken the spending problem to epic proportions, a move that will leave our children and grandchildren in the unfortunate position of having to sacrifice to pay off this debt.

Most Americans believe in the time-tested principle of parents working hard and sacrificing so their children and grandchildren can have life a little better than they did. That is the American Dream! However, much of what has happened in Washington for the past few months takes the opposite approach – forcing future generations to sacrifice for spending decisions made today. These are the types of decisions that future generations will come to regret.

It goes without saying; I will continue to support President Obama's policies when I believe they are right. For example, I support the President's decision extend the successful "surge" strategy of General David Petraeus to parts of Afghanistan. This is an example of developing good military strategy by consulting with our commanders on the ground, not politicians in Washington.

I share the President's opposition to announcing a public timeline for troop withdrawal. The threat of terrorism does not adhere to timelines, and such an unprecedented move would put our troops in harm's way.

I am also willing to trust President Obama's sincerity in stating his willingness to provide our troops with the resources they need to complete their mission. If he follows through and keeps this promise, it will be in stark contrast to the indefensible "slow-bleed" strategy endorsed by his fellow Democrats, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Defense Appropriations Chairman John Murtha.

Looking ahead, there are still a number of important pieces of legislation on the horizon. Congress has a full plate, including proposals regarding health care, environmental regulation, and economic recovery. As we move forward and address these important issues, I welcome your feedback and ideas. Please do not hesitate to contact me in Washington or any of our district offices, as well as through our website at jordan.house.gov.