Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013

Floor Speech

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Mr. BARR. Madam Chair, I strongly support the provision of immediate federal relief to the victims of Hurricane Sandy and other disasters. We absolutely have a responsibility to provide targeted resources to help communities meet their true emergency needs following a natural disaster. But I remain convinced that we can, and should, put in the tough work to do this in a fiscally responsible manner. This means finding a way to pay for what we spend.

Our national debt currently exceeds $16.4 trillion--and grows by billions of dollars each day. This is a symptom of Washington's inability to live within its means, and unless we reform the way Washington has traditionally gone about its business, this debt is going to dramatically limit the potential of our children and grandchildren. We must do better.

As I have traveled throughout Kentucky's Sixth District, people have asked me repeatedly to stand firm for common sense and fiscal responsibility. This is what families and small businesses in my district do every day, and this is the mentality that we need to start bringing to Washington. The Federal Government spent a massive $3.6 trillion in fiscal year 2012, so there are clearly savings that we can find. I am willing to do that work, and I encourage my colleagues to do so as well. Congress should not use the urgency of disaster relief as its excuse for continuing to run up our $16.4 trillion national debt.

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