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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Amy Auth
202-225-2071

By Rep. Virginia Foxx

A debate is brewing in the United States Congress that will have a significant impact on the future of this nation. There are two clearly defined philosophies at work in Washington. On one side are fiscal conservatives such as myself who want to cut government spending and rein-in the federal deficit. On the other side are those who believe more government spending is the answer to all of our problems -- and these folks will raise your taxes to pay for it.

The House Republican leadership has crafted the Deficit Reduction Act to restrain federal spending by $50 billion. However, the folks on the other side are fiercely trying to protect and increase every dollar the government is set to spend in the upcoming fiscal year.

The past few months have tested our nation’s resolve, our emergency response system, and Congress’ ability to set responsible spending priorities. Before our country was assaulted by several hurricanes, our country was right on target to reduce spending. The federal deficit had dropped 25 percent as the result of tax cuts and 10 quarters of economic growth.

Earlier this year, the Republican-led House passed a budget that called for $68 billion in savings from federal spending programs. Even though the Senate brought this amount down to $35 billion, we were still moving in the right direction.

Hurricane Katrina and the storms that followed presented our country with new and unprecedented challenges. Some of my colleagues thought the easy solution was to throw money at the problems. However, I take my duty as a steward of taxpayers’ dollars very seriously. That is why I did not support a massive $51.8 billion spending bill that provided little accountability or oversight. I understand that when huge sums of money are quickly spent without proper planning, there is almost always waste, abuse and poor judgment.

Since the $51.8 billion spending bill passed Congress, less than half of the funds have been spent. There have been numerous reports of waste and misuse of funds. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) has called on Congress to reprogram the money because she claims the money is not going to help those in need. I am encouraged that President Bush has also indicated that he will ask Congress to redirect some of the funds to reconstruction efforts.

We should use the occasion of having to respond to natural disasters as an opportunity to evaluate our priorities and examine spending in all government programs. That is what the majority in Congress is doing.

Congress now has a rare opportunity to get our finances back on track. This month, we will vote on the Deficit Reduction Act to rein in federal spending by $50 billion and reform decades-old programs that are often duplicative and ineffective.

Like every family in Northwest North Carolina, we need to make tough budget decisions and cut back on spending. This is not easy, but it is the right thing to do.

It is disappointing that many of my colleagues on the other side of the philosophical debate are fighting this common sense bill. Even though they complain about the deficit, they want to increase spending by billions of dollars! These Members have no plan to reduce the deficit. Their only answer is to raise taxes in order to have more money to spend. And that is not a good plan for the family checkbook or the American economy.

Look in the coming weeks for them to renew their tired attacks that claim children will be starving, seniors will thrown into the streets and the end of the world is near. These dishonest attacks will ring hollow because the fact is federal spending is still increasing.

At a time when we must be mindful of hard-earned tax dollars, the last thing we need is more of the old “tax and spend” mentality. The Deficit Reduction Act gives us an opportunity to streamline our government, reform ineffective programs, cut spending and provide greater accountability to the American people. It is time for this important piece of legislation to pass.

Editor’s Note: Virginia Foxx is a United States Representative from North Carolina’s Fifth Congressional District. You may contact her office toll free at 1-866-677-8968 or e-mail her from her website, www.house.gov/foxx.

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