The Hill Report: Week of February 23 - 27, 2009

This week in Washington, I attended President Obama’s first address to Congress. On Tuesday evening, the President outlined his vision for America during these historic economic challenges.

President Obama strongly voiced his commitment to fiscal responsibility and job creation, and the nation stands ready for action. My Republican colleagues and I are ready to work with the President to ensure a more prosperous future, with bipartisan agreements that offer innovative and fiscally-responsible solutions to the current economic crisis.

American families and businesses deserve responsible, decisive action from their government—action that will empower them to save and invest, as well as build and create jobs. From Capitol Hill to the White House, we must work together to ensure that America’s best days lie in our future.

The House Omnibus Appropriations Bill
On Wednesday, the House voted on the Omnibus Appropriations bill for the 2009 fiscal year. In an effort to encourage the Democrat Leadership to uphold their promise to the American people of being the most “open, honest and ethical” Congress in history, the House Republican leadership, including myself, sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer on February 5th asking them to immediately post the text of the Omnibus and all of the earmark and spending projects included for the American people to see. (See the etter to House Majority Leadership here.)

Regrettably, the Majority posted the text of this massive spending bill, which holds 9 of the remaining 12 Appropriations bills, only a day and a half before the vote took place. Last week President Obama signed a $792 billion “stimulus” package into law that consisted of over $500 billion in new spending. This week, my Democrat colleagues submitted a $410 billion Omnibus bill for a fiscal year we are almost half way through, 36 hours before the House took a vote on the legislation.

The Omnibus Appropriations bill contained an actual increase of 8.3% over the previous 2008 fiscal year’s funding, which is more than $32 billion. However, the bill also contained funding for many of the same agencies and programs that received funds in last week’s “stimulus” bill. The combined FY 2009 funding for agencies included in the Omnibus and Stimulus bills is $680 billion – $301 billion more than these programs received in 2008, for a combined 80% increase in spending this year.

This past weekend, President Obama held a fiscal responsibility summit at the White House, attended by members of both parties. I welcome his call for fiscal accountability, and my colleagues and I are willing to make the hard choices necessary to restore these standards in Washington. That is why we have called on Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer for a spending freeze – at a time of great deficits, a freeze would allow the federal government to continue functioning at current levels while waging our commitment to fiscal responsibility.

American families and small businesses are making sacrifices and cutting expenses due to the tough economic times, and my Republican colleagues and I believe that Congress should be cutting back as well. We are eager to work with the President to create job growth and economic stability.

During our recent district work period, I was fortunate to hear from many of my constituents in the 32nd district, and not surprisingly, you are growing increasingly upset and concerned with the amount of massive spending this Democrat Majority is pursuing. I am committed to preventing the growth of the federal budget from encroaching on the family budgets of taxpayers in Texas and across the United States, and I will be actively working to see that the interests of American taxpayers, not interest groups and “pork” spending, are carried out in Congress.

The Obama Administration’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2010
Yesterday, President Obama announced his budget for the 2010 fiscal year. On the heels of delivering his first address to Congress about the importance of fiscal responsibility and restoring economic stability, the President has put forth a budget outline that will increase the national debt by $2.7 trillion this year.

Unfortunately for American taxpayers, the Obama Administration’s budget proposal is a blueprint for higher taxes, more government spending, and deeper deficits. From tax increases on retirees to energy taxes on every consumer, this plan will tax every American—not just the wealthiest 2 percent. With a $3.9 trillion 2009 spending total on top of the $1.3 trillion “stimulus” bill Congress passed, this budget guarantees a deficit of nearly $1.8 trillion dollars this year while doubling the national debt in eight years.

Instead of creating U.S. jobs, the Administration’s budget kills them by raising marginal income tax rates from 33% to 36% and from 35% to 39.6% on small businesses – the engines of job creation in our country. Small business employees make up approximately half of the private-sector workforce and have been responsible for the creation of nearly 80% of new jobs in the U.S. Levying higher taxes on these businessmen and women is hardly the way to stimulate much-needed job growth in our economy.

History shows that tax increases during a recession are a recipe for greater unemployment and economic loss. The continued deficit spending financed by China and other foreign countries will only hasten America’s day of economic reckoning.

Americans know that raising taxes on small businesses will not help our nation create jobs. We know that spending billions of dollars we don’t have will not achieve fiscal responsibility. We know that growing the size of government will not solve our nation’s economic problems. We know that we must grow—not borrow and spend—our way back to prosperity.

My Republican colleagues and I stand ready to work with President Obama to achieve his stated commitment to fiscal responsibility. As a Party of ideas, my Republican colleagues and I remain committed to offering fiscally-responsible alternatives, including our call for a spending freeze and continued tax relief during this economic crisis.