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American
families have to balance their checkbooks and live on a budget - the
Administration and Congress should too. Unfortunately, in recent years
we have seen a return to deficit spending and the accumulation of the
largest deficits in the history of this nation. In 2006 alone, the
federal deficit was nearly $250 billion, not counting billions more
borrowed from Social Security.
I have
fought against these deficits and voted to cut wasteful spending,
improve government efficiency, and restore balance to the federal
budget. I have also insisted that we put an end to borrowing from the
Social Security trust funds and that we put common sense budgeting
rules in place to restore fiscal responsibility to the federal budget
process.
I understand the demands that are placed on our nation during times of crisis, but we cannot shy away from our duties to keep expenditures level
with income, and we must not pass huge deficits and debts onto our
children. I believe it is irresponsible and immoral to shift today's
costs onto the backs of our children and saddle them with enormous,
growing debt. This should not be a partisan issue. We must all work
together and make the tough choices to get our financial affairs back
in order. |
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Fiscal Responsibility
The federal budget is in dire straits. When former President Bush took office
in 2001 the federal budget was balanced, with surpluses expected for
years to come. Since then, we have squandered surpluses of more than $3
trillion and racked up record deficits. Congressman Baird has fought the reckless spending and tax
policies that put our country deeper in debt, and has been a leading advocate for fiscal responsibility in Washington. He has called on his colleagues to adopt common sense budgeting rules to
keep the federal budget in balance and has offered amendments in the
Budget Committee to restore fiscal responsibility to Congress.
Social Security
Social Security is a promise our government made to the American people
and we must ensure its future. In recent years we have heard a lot of
talk about placing Social Security trust funds in a "lockbox".
Unfortunately, this so called "lockbox" has been raided and borrowed
from to mask record deficit figures.
In 2007 alone, borrowing from the Social Security Trust Fund exceeded
$185 billion. More than anything else, it is this borrowing that has put
Social Security in jeopardy.
Congressman Baird has taken a stand against this practice, insisting that budgets
provide accurate numbers and honestly represent any proposed borrowing from Social
Security. More importantly, the Congressman has cosponsored legislation to end
borrowing from the Social Security Trust Fund entirely. This legislation would
prohibit the Administration and Congress from borrowing from Social Security
to fund other programs or disguise the true size of the deficit.
Cutting Down on Waste, Fraud and Abuse
Congressman Baird is a staunch advocate of eliminating waste and fraud
in government programs. He has used his position on the Budget
Committee whenever possible to identify and eliminate unnecessary
spending. For example, after reading an article in the Battleground
Reflector, Congressman Baird called for an investigation of the
Livestock Compensation Program (LCP). The program, which may have been
well-intentioned, was subject to flagrant abuse and was wasting
taxpayer dollars.
At the instruction of Congress, the Department of Agriculture created the LCP
to compensate ranchers and farmers for losses stemming from natural disasters.
Unfortunately, as Congressman Baird learned, the government had failed to require
recipients to demonstrate any actual financial loss before receiving payment.
As a consequence, livestock owners who lived in a disaster area, but who sustained
no damage to their animals, nonetheless received payments as high as $40,000.
Congressman Baird talked with the Department of Agriculture and the House Committee
on Agriculture about his concerns. Partly in response to his efforts, this faulty
program was not reauthorized and was instead replaced by a system that is much
less vulnerable to fraud.
Congressman Baird has also worked to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely
in Iraq and not subject to fraud by government contractors. He introduced the
Stop Fraud in Iraq Act to update the False Claims Act, a law that allows whistleblowers
to sue government contractors suspected of fraud. The False Claims Act has been
used to bring dozens of charges against Iraq contractors suspected of fraud,
including Halliburton's subsidiary, Kellogg Brown and Root. However, a
loophole in the False Claims Act that allows the Administration to stall the
process has prevented pending Iraq contractor fraud cases from moving forward.
Congressman Baird's legislation will close this loophole and protect U.S.
taxpayers by ensuring that contractors in Iraq suspected of defrauding the government
are held accountable.
Congressman Baird also led the effort in the House of Representatives to extend
the term of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). The
SIGIR serves as a critical watchdog over the billions of U.S. dollars allocated
for Iraq reconstruction programs.
Closing Tax Loopholes
Congressman Baird doesn't believe the federal government should give
taxpayer dollars to U.S. companies that locate overseas to avoid U.S.
taxes, labor laws, or environmental protections. Baird has voted to
close the "Bermuda Tax Loophole" that allows U.S. companies to set up
shell companies overseas to shelter money from the IRS. He believes
that relocating to a foreign county to avoid paying U.S. income tax is
inconsistent with American corporate citizenship and unfair to
businesses that pay their fair share in taxes. Congressman Baird also
believes that government contracts should not go to companies that
dodge their own responsibilities and locate overseas and has voted to
prohibit contracts with companies taking advantage of the "Bermuda Tax
Loophole."
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