Issue Position: Budget and Spending

Issue Position

Kelly Ayotte will fight hard for New Hampshire taxpayers to stop the professional politicians from bankrupting our country. This year's budget deficit is a staggering $1.4 trillion and our national debt is over $12 trillion. Congress cannot continue to spend money that we do not have, and burden our children with a debt they cannot afford.

We need to return to a fiscally responsible, common sense approach to spending that allows our country to prosper and create jobs.

New Hampshire is not an ATM for Washington, DC bureaucrats. Kelly Ayotte will stand up for New Hampshire's families when Congress attempts to raise their taxes. She will fight to rein-in wasteful spending and to balance the federal budget. In her announcement speech, Kelly Ayotte said, "Enough is enough. Washington needs a good dose of New Hampshire common sense….You can't spend money you don't have. Like most New Hampshire families, Joe and I sit around our kitchen table and we have to prioritize and live within our budget. Our government should be no different. Our elected leaders must be willing to make the same hard decisions."

Kelly Ayotte supports the following reforms to eliminate out of control, wasteful government spending:

* Pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution. (New Hampshire and 48 other states have some requirement to balance their budgets)
* Stop spending taxpayer money on the bailouts and the stimulus package and return the money to pay down the deficit
* Sunset government programs that have far outlived their utility
* End the reckless earmarking process that has used taxpayer dollars to fund wasteful projects such as the "bridge to nowhere"

Kelly has signed the 'No Pork Pledge' and supports the Balanced Budget Amendment. She has also signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, promising to vote against tax increases. Recently, Kelly was honored to sign Americans for Prosperity's candidate pledge to cut taxes, cut spending, cut the size of government, and uphold the Constitution.

Reducing government spending will not be easy. It will require strong leadership by individuals who are willing to make the difficult decisions. As New Hampshire's Attorney General, Kelly Ayotte has demonstrated that kind of leadership. She didn't make decisions based on what was easy; rather Kelly made decisions based on what was best for the people of New Hampshire.

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