Hurricane Katrina is now projected to be the most expensive natural disaster in our nation?s history.  While we must do all we can to help repair the damage done by this hurricane and help the victims, we must also resist the temptation to grow the government for the long term. 

In the past, recovering from national emergencies has led to the expansion of the federal government and spending.  We saw it after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and now there is the risk that we will fall into this trap again.  We must find a way to pay for this unbudgeted but necessary expense so that we do not simply pass the burden of increased national debt onto our children and grandchildren.  We need to make reforms and reduce unnecessary spending to make up for some of this cost.

I have been meeting with the Republican Study Committee, a group of over 100 Congressmen, about ways to restrain spending to help pay for this disaster and also address our budget deficit and the national debt.  There are a number of good proposals on the table.  One option is to delay the implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill for one year, resulting in a savings of at least $30.8 billion dollars.  This new program is currently expected to cost about $1 trillion over the next ten years.  We need to consider replacing it with a direct drug benefit for the needy seniors that need it the most.  

The federal government has continued to grow during the years since the attacks on September 11, 2001.  While we live in challenging times, we must share some sacrifice and tighten the belt of the federal government.