Issue Position: Budget and Debt

Issue Position

Today, our debt is growing faster than our economy and Washington's promises are growing faster than its ability to pay for them -- regardless of political party this is completely irresponsible. Our nation is facing the greatest debt in its history. A debt that we will pass along to our children and grandchildren if not addressed. This is a crisis that we cannot ignore any longer. It is a crisis that will require us to look at all areas of our government, defense and non-defense, to get our spending under control.

I do not support across-the-board cuts but we must reduce our spending. I believe we can target specific areas of our budget where we can save by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. Unfortunately, this alone will not fix our $16 trillion debt. We will need to make the tough decisions like identifying and addressing the true drivers of our debt. This will not be an easy task but just as families in the 13th District do, we will have to make the difficult choices and make a budget.

Within the first month of being sworn into office, I voted for legislation that withholds pay for Members of Congress unless both chambers pass a budget. This is a basic function of Congress but a vital first step to getting our spending under control. We cannot continue to increase our debt limit without true spending reforms and an effort to live within a budget.

Each year I have served in Congress, I have supported a budget framework proposed by Budget Chairman Paul Ryan because it's the only one that balances our budget in ten years, reduces our deficit responsibly and strengthens social safety nets for all Americans. This budget moves our country to a pro-growth model so our economy can start growing, creating jobs and seeing prosperity again.

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