As the deadline for filing federal tax returns for 2009 arrives today, Congressman Adam Putnam expressed concern for the growing debt burden America has taken on, and the fact that taxes have risen because of misguided policies recently passed by Congress.

"As millions of Americans file their tax returns, the $3.8 trillion budget that President Barack Obama has sent to Congress for the next fiscal year raises taxes by $2 trillion and still saddles the nation with $8.5 trillion in additional debt over the next decade.  

“At a time of double digit unemployment in Florida and around the nation, I am very concerned about the direction in which the president and Congress are leading us.  In past periods of economic downturn, there has been bipartisan support for reducing the tax burden on Americans.  These policies have prompted economic rebound and brought Americans back to work.  But now, faced with the worst economy since the Great Depression, Washington is on a narrow, partisan course that places an enormous debt burden on Americans for generations to come, while simultaneously raising the tax burden on families, small businesses and seniors.”

Since 2001, Putnam has represented Florida’s 12^th Congressional District, which includes most of Polk County and portions of Hillsborough and Osceola counties.