Neugebauer Votes for Fiscal Discipline
Neugebauer Votes for Fiscal Discipline
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Randy Neugebauer voted for fiscal discipline Thursday as the House considered legislation (H.R. 4939) whose price tag ballooned to more than $90 billion.
"I fully support our military as well as President Bush's request to provide further support for our troops as they fight the War on Terror," Neugebauer said. "Unfortunately, the bill we voted on today in the House is a far cry from what the President sent to Congress. Along the way, this bill became unrecognizable, with $20 billion inserted for hurricane relief, $750 million for home heating assistance despite winter ending in four days, and millions more devoted to foreign aid. In the end, I could not support this bill because I could not in good conscience use our troops as an excuse to spend taxpayer dollars irresponsibly."
Neugebauer, who offered an amendment to remove Gulf Coast recovery money from the bill, expressed strong disappointment that non-defense and non-emergency funding was inserted into the bill.
"The American taxpayers have already invested nearly $100 billion in the Gulf Coast recovery effort," Neugebauer said. "Before committing billions and billions more to this effort, a thoughtful and comprehensive Gulf Coast recovery plan needs to be developed. That plan should include private sector support, set forth realistic goals and expectations, and provide real measures of accountability. It is far from clear that such a plan exists today, so I cannot support spending an additional $20 billion on the recovery effort at this time."
Neugebauer's amendment garnered the strong support of many fiscal conservatives in the House but ultimately fell short.
"I want to thank my colleagues who stood alongside me today as we gave voice to the concerns of so many in this country who understand that Congress needs to rein in spending," Neugebauer said. "I am disappointed that my amendment was not included in the bill, but I will continue to fight for fiscally conservative principles
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/tx19_neugebauer/morenews/EmSupp031606.html