A Call for Fiscal Responsibility - UPDATE
A Call for Fiscal Responsibility - UPDATE
Readers may remember that I have been working with some of my colleagues in the House to push for greater fiscal discipline in the budget process (see last week's Roundup). I offered an amendment that would have removed Gulf Coast recovery money from the War on Terror emergency supplemental spending bill. If my amendment had passed, it would have allowed Congress to take a closer look at how taxpayer dollars are being spent along the Gulf Coast. My amendment did not pass, and, as a result, the price tag on the legislation swelled to more than $90 billion, much of which is being spent on items that do not qualify as emergencies. When it came time to cast my vote, I voted for fiscal discipline. Here is an excerpt from the statement I released following last Thursday's vote (full statement can be found here).
" I fully support our military as well as President Bush's request to provide further support for our troops as they fight the War on Terror. Unfortunately, the bill we voted on today in the House is a far cry from what the President sent to Congress. Along the way, this bill became unrecognizable, with $20 billion inserted for hurricane relief, $750 million for home heating assistance despite winter ending in four days, and millions more devoted to foreign aid. In the end, I could not support this bill because I could not in good conscience use our troops as an excuse to spend taxpayer dollars irresponsibly "
Despite the result of last week's vote, I remain committed to the goal of fiscal discipline. It is my hope that last week's vote is the beginning, not the end, of the effort to bring serious reform to the budget process. My amendment garnered the support of 88 of my colleagues, and the number of members who want to restore fiscal sanity to Washington is growing stronger.
FINAL REMINDER: Academy Forums Slated for March 25
This is a final reminder that I will be hosting military academy forums Saturday, March 25 in Abilene and Lubbock. For more information, click here or call my office toll free at 1-888-763-1611.
Thank You and Congratulations
I want to extend a special thank you and congratulations to all who worked on the effort to bring the George W. Bush Presidential Library to West Texas. Unfortunately, the West Texas proposal is no longer in the running, but that should not diminish the hard work that went into the proposal and the community ties that were strengthened as a result of this process.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/tx19_neugebauer/morenews/RR032006.html