Katrina/Rita Relief and Fiscal Discipline

KATRINA/RITA RELIEF AND FISCAL DISCIPLINE -- (House of Representatives - September 28, 2005)

(Mrs. SCHMIDT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mrs. SCHMIDT. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you tonight to talk to you about something which I have a lot of experience with as a wife and a mother, budgeting.

Today, an honest estimate of what it will cost to pay for the Federal Government's responsibilities on the Gulf Coast is approximately $100 billion. This money will go to rebuild things like levees, highways, bridges, hospitals and schools, the infrastructure needed for the private sector to rebuild this devastated region. That is a lot of money, money that no one planned or anticipated.

As we all know, when the car breaks down or the dishwasher stops or any other unanticipated expense comes up, we must prioritize and separate the needs from the wants.

Raising taxes is not an option. The last thing anyone in this country needs is the burden of giving the government more money to spend, spend, spend. Our economy and thousands of jobs will pay the price. We need to make some tough decisions, realize what is important to us as Americans, what we need, and decide what can wait until another payday.

Some may call for deficit spending, but that is not the answer. American families make tough budget decisions every day. A broken furnace means no trip to Disney World. Increased prices at the pump means less meals eaten outside the home. It is a matter of priorities. It is a matter of responsibilities.

The government needs to prioritize, start acting like responsible adults, and quit spending money like it grows on trees.

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