Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2007
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2007 -- (House of Representatives - May 17, 2006)
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Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Republican Study Committee's amendment in the nature of a substitute.
On March 8, I joined with my colleagues from the Republican Study Committee to renew our commitment to the principles of the Contract With America. We must control government spending.
While I may not agree with every line of this substitute amendment, I do support its overall goal of balancing the budget in five years and saving taxpayers nearly $360 billion.
The attack of Sept. 11, the War on Terror and national emergencies like Katrina are largely to blame for our deficit ..... but not completely. Wasteful government spending also adds to the national debt, and we need to address it.
Our Nation's growing deficit amounts to a generational transfer of wealth. Today's youth will pay for the decisions we make today. For years, we have increased government spending, and now, we must work together to help rein it in and cut the deficit.
Here are some frightening statistics:
Since 2000, the amount the government spends on average per American household has grown 15.1 percent--the highest level since World War II.
In recent years, the federal budget growth has far outpaced the growth in the average American family budget.
This year's deficit may well exceed $400 billion.
Americans are saying enough is enough. The RSC budget will balance the budget in 5 years and eliminate more than 150 federal programs that are no longer making the grade.
Congress has some tough decisions to make during the 2007 budget process. This is no different than those Americans who establish their own annual budgets. Over the next five years, Americans will generously provide the federal government with an average increase of 5.3 percent in federal tax revenue. Congress must learn to live within that.
Think about it. When our constituents sit down to figure out their family budgets, they don't start by figuring out how much they want to spend. They start by figuring out how much they have to spend and then they work back from there.
We should do no less.
In the end, we must ask ourselves, what legacy do we want to leave our children? Will it be a massive government and crushing debt? Or the legacy of hope, prosperity and a lean and responsible government?
Mr. Chairman, budgeting is about making tough choices. Congress must return to the path of fiscal responsibility. We must balance the budget and rein in spending, and the RSC budget alternative is the best place to start.
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