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CONTACT: Amy Auth
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Votes to slow the growth of Federal spending

Early this morning, United States Rep. Virginia Foxx (N.C.-5) voted to pass H.R. 4241, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. This legislation will eliminate waste and duplication in the federal government and yield billions of dollars in savings for American taxpayers.

“As a fiscal conservative, I was proud to support this important legislation to provide greater accountability to the American people,” said Rep. Foxx. “The $50 billion saved by this plan will go a long way in streamlining our government and getting our finances back on track.”

Recent natural disasters have further highlighted the need to reduce massive federal spending in government programs and to re-evaluate priorities. The Deficit Reduction Act contains a number of provisions that trim the federal deficit and reform government programs including:

Lowering prescription drug costs
Reducing waste, fraud, and abuse
Strengthening and simplifying student loan programs
Rebuilding community first responder capabilities by freeing up vital spectrum airwaves
Protecting workers’ pensions by placing the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC) on a more solid financial foundation and protecting taxpayers from the cost of a massive bailout
Restricting non-citizen access to food stamps and helping prevent illegal aliens from getting Medicaid

“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,” she said.

Rep. Foxx also expressed her disappointment with colleagues on the other side of the debate. “Even though members of the Minority complain about the deficit, they want to increase spending astronomically with no accountability measures in place. They have no plan to reduce the deficit. Their only answer is to raise taxes. At a time when we must be mindful of hard-earned tax dollars, the last we thing we need is more of the old ‘tax and spend’ mentality,” she said. “I am pleased we were able to win today’s victory for working families.”

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