Last week, the eyes of our nation were fixed squarely on Washington. For the first time in my tenure in Congress, the decision to raise the federal debt limit was paired with a necessary effort to begin reining in our out-of-control federal spending. In the past, the vote to raise the debt limit was often attached to a budget resolution or voted on with little debate and no talk of spending restraint. This time, however, thanks to the voices of the American people, the debate was different. Across the nation, average Americans are tired of big government irresponsibly spending their hard-earned tax dollars. These ordinary citizens have fundamentally changed the debate in Washington and have even forced the President and the Democratic leadership to acknowledge what many on the Gulf Coast have been saying for years--we must reduce federal spending and scale back the size of government to make it less intrusive and more conducive to promoting American ingenuity and the small businesses that are the engines of our economy.
After months of negotiations, Congressional leadership and the Administration announced an agreement to cut spending and increase the debt limit. The Budget Control Act of 2011 is modeled after a deficit reduction package introduced by the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, that passed the House of Representatives on July 29, 2011. While it is far from perfect, this agreement is an important first step in the right direction. In fact, this bill guarantees that for the first time in a generation, discretionary spending will be reduced for two consecutive years. The Budget Control Act caps discretionary spending and saves taxpayers $917 billion, while extending authority to borrow $900 billion. An additional increase would only be in order if at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction is achieved.
Further, this bill requires that both the House and Senate vote on a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment by the end of this year. The last time a Balanced Budget Amendment was brought before both houses of Congress, in 1996, it passed the House of Representatives and failed in the Senate by only one vote. Every American family must balance their budget, and I believe that the Federal Government should adhere to these same realities. Passing a Balanced Budget Amendment would forever change the way that Washington does business, and its ratification is the definitive solution to our fiscal crises.
In order to propose legislation to further reduce the deficit, the Budget Control Act bill creates a bipartisan Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction that has been charged with a goal to report legislation by November 23, 2011 that reduces spending by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. I have heard concerns from some that this committee will be a “Super Congress” that operates outside of Congress’ rules. This is simply not true. Like any other committee, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction cannot unilaterally pass legislation. Any bills originating from this committee must be passed by both the House and Senate and be signed by the President before becoming law. The Speaker of the House and the House Minority leader will each appoint 3 House Members to this committee, while the Senate Majority Leader and the Senate Minority Leader will each appoint 3 Senators. The Budget Control Act mandates that both the House and Senate be required to hold an up-or-down vote on legislation from the Deficit
Reduction Committee by December 23, 2011.
I have also heard concerns that promises of spending reductions will not be upheld. In order to ensure that serious spending cuts are made, across-the-board cuts to discretionary and mandatory spending will go into effect first to achieve the $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction if the Joint Committee is unable to identify the cuts or Congress fails to pass a larger deficit reduction package. If that occurs, these cuts would be equally distributed between defense and non-defense spending. Some programs, including Military pay, Veteran’s benefits and Social Security would be exempt from these cuts.
Again, while this agreement is not perfect, I voted for the bill because it makes immediate cuts, caps federal spending, includes a further vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment, and ensures that spending reduction targets will be met either through congressional action or automatic across-the-board cuts. We have begun to right the ship and turn this country back towards a path of fiscal accountability and individual responsibility.
While I have the honor and privilege of serving the people of the First District of Florida in Congress, I am, like you, first and foremost a proud American citizen. The effort to get our fiscal house in order is one that spans any ideological divide. The success or failure of our efforts to overcome the fiscal challenges of our nation will shape the future of the United States. Our parents and grandparents fought and sacrificed so that we would have a better life with more opportunities for prosperity. We must not let their efforts be in vein by defaulting on our responsibility to our children and grandchildren to make their future and our country all that it can be.
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