Issue Position: Budget/Fiscal Responsibility

Issue Position

Thomas Jefferson once wrote: "To preserve [the] independence [of the people,] we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude." At $18 trillion, the national debt is now equal to more than $56,000 for every man, woman and child in this country. This means that the amount of debt for everyone in the U.S. now exceeds the median family income. We simply cannot allow this spending spree to continue.

It is a simple concept -- you can't spend more than you take in. Business owners, individuals and families all across this country understand this concept and live by it in their own lives. They should expect nothing less from the federal government and yet Congress continues to prove it cannot make the tough decisions on its own. We must rein in the skyrocketing deficit spending that is discouraging investment and threatening to bankrupt our nation.

Every Congress since 2007, I have introduced amendments that require Congress to balance the federal budget. In order for Congress to consistently make the tough decisions necessary for fiscal responsibility, Congress must have the external pressure of a balanced budget requirement.

This problem is not a partisan one -- both parties are guilty of excessive spending and have been for decades. A handful of Members, including myself, have a long track record of opposing wasteful spending and supporting aggressive reforms aimed at reining in runaway government spending, regardless of which party has been in power. For years now, I have voted for the toughest budget alternatives offered on the House Floor. Unfortunately, none of these tough budgets have received enough votes to pass. I will continue to aggressively work to rein in government spending.

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