This week in Washington I was honored to be one of 13 members of the House GOP Conference asked to participate in the Pledge to America announcement.

My part in the program was to speak on the second part of the Pledge; our plan to stop out of control spending and actually reduce the size of our government.

Among the most important elements of our Pledge is the one to put government on a path to a balanced budget and actually begin to pay off the national debt. But let’s remember this is not something that has to wait.

If Speaker Pelosi chose to do so, we could act immediately to reduce spending by cancelling unspent stimulus funds. The American people know that after three million of their countrymen have lost their jobs, the only thing the stimulus has stimulated is the national debt.

Since the Democrat-controlled Congress has not passed a budget or any appropriations bills this session we could cut government spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels saving immediately 100 billion dollars.  But Speaker Pelosi won’t let those proposals see the light of day.

Contrast that with the Pledge to America. If Republicans have the opportunity we will establish a hard cap on new discretionary spending. Now think about it, under our Pledge we would go from being the first House in the modern era without a budget to being the first House with a binding budget.

We also pledged to change the culture of spending in Congress. If you’re going to lead, you need to lead by example.  Our Pledge is to actually cut Congress’ budget – at a time when families have to cut back, small businesses have to cut back, why not Congress?

I am committed to save the American dream before it drowns in a sea of red-ink. Many of the bills that are incorporated in the GOP Pledge to America – ending TARP, caps on discretionary spending, ending the taxpayer bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and reforming the budget process to focus on the long term – are bills that I sponsored or worked to develop. We will not allow the torch of liberty to be mortgaged; our Pledge is to make it bigger and brighter for the next generation.