U.S. Congressman Fred Upton

Spending

With the national debt having eclipsed $13 trillion for the first time in U.S. history, I believe that Congress must act immediately to preserve our nation’s fiscal integrity and protect future generations.  Since January 2009, the debt has grown by an alarming $4.9 billion per day, and there does not appear to be an end in sight.  I support a number of provisions that would drastically reduce wasteful government spending.

Spending Limit Amendment to the Constitution
I support an amendment to the Constitution of the United States (H.J.Res.79) to rescue the nation from bankruptcy.  The constitutional spending limit amendment simply limits the federal government’s spending to one-fifth of the U.S. economy – the historical average since World War II. The limit could only be waived if a declaration of war was in effect or by a two-thirds vote of Congress.

Balanced Budget Amendment
I support an amendment to the Constitution of the United States (H.J.Res.1) that would prohibit government spending for any fiscal year from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing), unless explicitly authorized by both bodies of Congress by a three-fifths vote.  The amendment would also require a three-fifths vote of each chamber to increase the public debt limit.

Earmark Ban
I have joined fellow House Republicans in opposing all earmark spending for FY 2011 and have called on the Democratic majority to do the same (H.Res.1289)

Line-Item Veto
I am a cosponsor of legislation that would give the President of the United States the power of the line-item veto (H.R. 1294).  Under this long overdue legislation, the President would have the authority to single out individual pork-barrel spending items in legislation that arrives on his desk for signature and send these specific line items back to Congress for a timely up-or-down vote on whether to rescind these spending provisions. Likewise, the President would be able to request the rescission of narrowly targeted special-interest tax breaks. 

Cost-of-Living Adjustment for Members of Congress
I supported the successful efforts to eliminate the Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) scheduled to be made to Member salaries for FY 2010 and FY 2011.