Dear Friends,
Every day, families, state legislatures, and local city and county governments are making the tough choices to balance their budgets. They have every reason to expect Washington to do the same.
For the fourth year in a row, House Republicans have put forward a budget that makes tough, but necessary decisions about out of control federal spending. On Wednesday, the House Budget Committee passed its Fiscal Year 2015 (FY 2015) budget proposal, The Path to Prosperity.
I was proud to join my Republican colleagues in voting for a budget that responsibly cuts $5.1 trillion over the next ten years by reforming the main drivers of our debt and targeting wasteful spending. The Path to Prosperity balances the budget within 10 years and begins to pay down the debt. At the same time, the budget seeks to expand opportunity and jobs by highlighting policies that will grow the economy.
The Path to Prosperity rejects the President's unrealistic plan for national security, and instead ensures men and women of the armed forces have the proper equipment, training, and compensation. The most important function of the federal government is to ensure a safe and peaceful society, while also making the necessary decision to defend us against our enemies both at home and around the world. If we cannot defend what we stand for, then everything else we do really does not matter.
The FY 2015 budget proposal is scheduled to be on the House floor for a vote this week.
Appropriations Update
Even with the president's budget arriving to us a month late, the House Appropriations Committee has been working tirelessly to conduct budget hearings so that we can begin writing and openly debating all 12 appropriations bills. On Thursday, after weeks of budget hearings, the first draft appropriations bill passed the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.
The Committee's proposal abides by the $1.014 proposal passed by Congress in December 2013, and provides $71.5 billion in discretionary funding for military infrastructure as well as veterans' benefits and programs. It is vital that we provide adequate funding to military construction and services that our troops and veterans rely on, and we do so while also being mindful of taxpayer dollars. Men and women of the armed services made a commitment to their country. Their country made a commitment to them, and it is up to us to honor that commitment.
A full committee markup of the bill is expected to take place this week.
Stay in touch and God bless,
Alan Nunnelee