Restoring fiscal sanity in Washington
As I travel the 4th District, I continually hear from people upset that Washington, D.C. seems completely out of touch with the problems the middle class faces in America today. Average Americans think the government is rigged against them. They see bailouts for big corporations and well-connected banks, and handouts to people who are able, but unwilling to work. I share these concerns, which is why I've spent my time in Congress advocating for a government that works for the people, not the other way around.
The federal government has been operating on "continuing resolutions" for years. Instead of forcing a review of America's fiscal policy each year through the budget process, these CRs simply continue the excessive spending. Each CR funds the same departments and special interest recipients at similar — and sometimes higher — levels than before.
The Congressional Budget Office projects this year's national deficit — spending beyond what our government takes in through taxes — will be $506 billion. That's half a trillion dollars of unfunded spending, paid for with an IOU to foreign investors. This is the lowest annual deficit in five years, but it's still higher than any previous deficit before Barack Obama became president.
So how do we address this? It starts with a balanced budget. I've previously proposed a plan called "Cut, Cap and Balance." By following this plan, the federal government would cut current spending, cap future spending, and send a Balanced Budget Amendment to the states. This would address the federal deficit for the long-term, so the government could stop worrying about raising the debt ceiling every few months and start addressing the problems Americans face.
And it's a popular plan. A CNN poll in 2011 showed that two-thirds of Americans supported such a plan to permanently tackle Washington's out-of-control borrowing and spending.
On the other end of the spectrum, I've proposed the Welfare Reform and Upward Mobility Act, a bill that would use the federal Food Stamp program (Supplemental Nutrition Assistant Program — SNAP) to help Americans rise out of poverty, while also reducing reliance on government.
This reform is modeled after the bipartisan 1996 welfare reform law. Under it, able-bodied individuals between 19 and 62 who do not have any dependents would have to be working or looking for work, volunteering in their community, participating in a job training program or attending school in order to receive benefits. For those looking for work, professionals would supervise the search, improving the odds that the search ends in employment, not an endless string of rejection letters.
As a Member of Congress, I know that it's not just about "talking the talk" — we must walk the fiscally-responsible walk as well. That's why my office cut its budget this year. We know we serve the people of the fourth district, and if the people of the fourth district have had to tighten their belts, then so should we. We do more with less like Americans across the country. Since I came to Washington, my office has twice been one of the five lowest-spending offices in Congress.
Some in Washington think the federal government can continue to spend more than it takes in, but the families and taxpayers I have the privilege of representing know this is a recipe for disaster. That's why I will continue fighting bailouts, opposing handouts and working to restore fiscal sanity in government.
This op-ed appeared in the Marion Star.