Issue Position: Fiscal Responsibility

Issue Position

Rush Holt earned a 100% rating from Citizens for Tax Justice
2006 Congressional Tax Report Card Fiscal responsibility means living within your means, paying your debts, and honoring your obligations. These traditional principles are behind Rush Holt's commitment to cutting waste, balancing the budget, and paying down the national debt, and they are behind his commitment to honoring the promises America has made by ensuring the financial health of Social Security, Medicare and the veterans health care system.

Rush has received recognition from independent, non-partisan organizations for his efforts to curb wasteful spending and to balance the federal budget. For example, the Concord Coalition, a bipartisan fiscal watchdog group, rated Rush the most fiscally responsible member of the New Jersey Congressional delegation in the 106th Congress.

During the past four years of unprecedented budget surpluses, Rush fought to make sure that the surplus funds were used sensibly, to pay down the national debt so that our children won't have to, and to ensure the long term solvency of Social Security and Medicare. The first bill Rush introduced was the "Social Security and Medicare Lockbox Act," designed to prevent the government from using the trust funds to pay for other programs.On the Budget Committee Rush fought against this year's return to big budget deficits and he continues to fight against deficit spending.

Rush has also supported fair and fiscally responsible tax cuts to give a portion of the surplus back to the working families who bear such a large tax burden. He co-sponsored the Marriage Penalty and Family Tax Relief Act to repeal the "marriage penalty," and he crossed party lines to join in the effort to give small businesses and New Jersey family farmers relief by repealing the estate tax. However, when the Administration and the Leadership in Congress squandered that surplus, he opposed extending some of the most exorbitant tax cuts beyond 2001.

Rush has also fought against waste and abuse in government contracting by supporting legislation aimed at preventing wasteful and questionable contracting practices.

Rush Holt fights for the priorities which matter to central New Jersey; responsible fiscal policies so that our children will not be left with a mountain of debt, making good on our obligations by strengthening Social Security and Medicare for our retirees, funding veterans health care for those who gave so much for our freedom, and providing fair, responsible tax relief for working families.

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