Don't Let Tax Cuts Expire

Statement

When asked last weekend if Democrats in Congress would let tax reductions enacted by President Bush expire at the end of the year, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs suggested Americans "are not going to have their tax cuts extended.

The Obama Administration views the taxpayers' money as theirs and they will determine how much of it you can keep.

The Democratic Majority in Congress is looking to fund their expansion of government at the expense of middle class taxpayers.

With double-digit unemployment and a struggling economy, now is a particularly bad time for raising taxes on hard-working Americans. Raising any taxes in this economic environment will significantly impact small businesses and job growth.

Republicans and Democrats should find common ground by agreeing that the government, at the least, should not raise taxes during periods of high unemployment.

I believe that the American people are the best stewards of their own money, and historically, tax reductions are what generate strong economic growth. They enable Americans to save, invest and spend more of their earnings. This helps to create a business environment that rewards creativity and innovation.

The economy cannot recover with looming tax increases threatening to take away more of what Americans earn and massive government spending showing no signs of ending. Besides tax relief for the middle class, big government needs to show real spending restraint in order to secure the economic future of our nation.

I introduced H.R. 5323, the SAFE (Saving America's Future Economy) Act, to stop runaway government spending and rising deficits. H.R. 5323 will limit annual increases in federal spending to the sum of percentage increases in population growth and inflation which will enable us to achieve a balanced budget in six years.

I was a member of the House Budget Committee in the 1980s when we achieved the first balanced budget in over twenty years. That remains my goal and now is the time to determine what steps we need to take to get our fiscal house in order.

Republicans in Congress also have introduced the YouCut program, in which more than one million votes have been cast by the public on what government programs should be eliminated. As of the end of June, YouCut had amassed over $100 billion in cuts to the federal deficit. This is a one-of-a kind project where together we can change the culture of spending in Washington to a culture of fiscal responsibility. You too can vote by accessing http://republicanwhip.house.gov/YouCut.

Americans struggling in the worst economy in a generation don't want to be told their taxes are going to go up. They need tax relief now more than ever -- and a government focused on stopping excessive government spending.

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