Issue Position: Federal Budget

Issue Position

* Fighting for greater accountability in Congress as the Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee. By controlling spending, I have proposed a budget alternative that balances the budget without raising your taxes.

* Taking on our most pressing fiscal problems with specific solutions. I have put forth a comprehensive plan, with specific legislation backed up by the numbers, to solve our looming fiscal crisis: the explosion of entitlement spending.

* Exposing the most egregious examples of government waste and abuse, with my Budget Boondoggle Award

When I was named the Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, I made a commitment to hold Congress fiscally accountable and prevent government from wasting our tax dollars. So, I wrote a budget alternative that does not raise taxes, balances the budget by 2012, eliminates earmarks, and tackles our entitlement crisis. The House instead passed a budget that proposed the largest tax increase in American history: $683 billion over five years. Roughly 116 million taxpayers would have an average tax increase of $1,833 in 2011. Not only have I opposed fiscally irresponsible budgets, but I have put forth alternative solutions.

Ignoring the pollsters and pundits who told me to play it safe in an election year, I have taken head on the budget-busting elephant in the room: our exploding entitlement programs. These vital programs continue to take up a larger portion of our budget each year and threaten to crowd out other government spending and cripple our economy if left unaddressed. To address these problems, I have put forward legislation, "A Roadmap to America's Future," which tackles the interrelated challenges facing the future of health care, Medicare, Social Security, our tax system, and our growing debt. My Roadmap fulfills the mission of health and retirement security, lifts the crushing burden of debt, and strengthens American jobs and competitiveness in the 21st century.

Additionally, inspired by efforts of the late Senator William E. Proxmire, I have unveiled the Budget Boondoggle Award to highlight examples of wasteful spending. Sadly, with so much waste in Congress, finding recipients is never difficult. I recently "honored" our U.S. farm policy with the Budget Boondoggle Award for handing out farm subsidies to wealthy urban dwellers in New York City, including billionaires, members of the Rockefeller family, and venture capitalists. I will continue to expose the worst examples of government waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars. I hope to embarrass my colleagues into becoming better stewards of your tax dollars.

With pork-barrel spending corrupting Washington, I have been a leader in the fight against earmarks. I have pledged not to submit any new earmark requests until the abusive spending process is cleaned-up in Congress. I have also proposed the Legislative Line Item Veto that will help combat wasteful spending and earmarks.

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