Issue Position: Spending Cuts and Debt

Issue Position

I believe free markets, economic mobility, and equal opportunity are the drivers of innovation, entrepreneurship, and capital formation. Every piece of legislation should be considered in light of the impact on these drivers.

Our national debt is at a record high of $20 trillion, and Congress has not made a serious effort to control spending. U.S. Treasury securities have lost their AAA rating, which would normally place upward pressure on interest rates. Instead, the Federal Reserve continues to print money and purchase Treasury securities to artificially bring their value up and corresponding interest rates down. This increase in money supply undermines the value of the U.S. dollar, making the United States less attractive as a place to start a business, invest money, or grow a corporation. Continuing high unemployment, a sluggish economy, and increased prices are the inevitable result of following this fiscal path. This cycle will only stop when the U.S Congress controls government spending.

These are the principles that will return America to economic greatness:

Balanced the budget
Lower taxes
Exercise fiscal restraint
Ease the regulatory burden
Pursue sound monetary policy
Enact tort reform
Establish fair trade policies
Funding the government under regular order, with full and transparent debate and consideration of expenditures, will put the brakes on runaway spending legislation and restore fiscal responsibility to the federal government. Toward that end, I have sponsored these bills:

R. 4328, The Read the Bill Act (I introduced this bill on January 6, 2016.) My bill would prohibit the consideration in the House or Senate of any legislation over 300 pages which has not been published online at least 72 working hours prior to consideration, would require an additional 24-hours for every 100 pages of bill text beyond 300 pages, and would take away the force of law of any legislation using "fast track" procedures
R. 4486, The Just Do Your Job Act (I am a co-sponsor of this bill.) This bill would keep all members of either the House or Senate from being paid if their respective chamber did not vote on final passage of each of the 12 regular appropriations bills prior to the end of a fiscal year.
The government getting out of the way is the most effective program for creating jobs in the United States. In Congress, I have and will continue to strive to cut unnecessary spending, lower taxes and remove regulations on U.S. enterprise in order to spur economic growth, entrepreneurship, and investment. A smaller government will lead to a stronger economy that will create jobs for Americans.

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