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Congressman Forbes supports an all-of-the-above energy solution,
including increasing oil supply through drilling and increasing refinery
capacity, conserving, and developing alternative energy sources. Just
last week, he introduced a New Manhattan Project for Energy
Independence, which calls for the United States to achieve 50% energy
independence in ten years and 100% energy independence in 20 years and
will award competitive prizes to the first individual or group who can
reach any of seven established energy goals.
Watch coverage of this new initiative that aired this week on CNN by
clicking the photos below.
Cutting the Excess
Right now, our federal government is in debt over $9 trillion dollars.
This means that every man, woman, and child in the U.S. owes the federal
government just over $30,000 for expenses the government paid using
borrowed dollars, and that number continues to rise. Growth in federal
debt has a significant impact on our economic output and threatens our
economic stability - because the government needs to borrow money, and
when a big borrower like the government enters the credit market,
dollars become scarce. The lack of available dollars in the credit
market leads to higher interest rates, and costly loans make it more
difficult for businesses to earn a profit. Our federal debt impacts
employment growth and our ability to advance technologically and compete
globally. For families already facing a slowing economy, a struggling
housing market, and skyrocketing gas prices, a growing deficit that they
have little control over creates a financial pit in their stomach of the
worst kind.
And unfortunately, the steps Congress is taking each year have shown
hardly any signs of attempting to significantly reduce our federal debt.
The amount of money used to fund the economic stimulus package this
year, which I
voted against, would have paid off the entire 2007
deficit. This proves once again that short-term economic boosts do
not get us far in the long-term.
Just recently, Congress voted on the Budget Resolution, which set the
federal spending budget for Fiscal Year 2009. I voted against the Budget
Resolution because I don’t believe we should raise taxes to tackle the
deficit. The Budget Resolution increased discretionary spending by $241
billion above the President’s budget and imposed an average tax increase
of $1,833 per American taxpayer over the next five years. Simply, it was
a budget that was irresponsible to American taxpayers.
To some, the size of our federal debt and the scope of government
spending make our federal deficit problem appear to be an impossible
task to tackle. This is no excuse for not putting our every effort into
decreasing the deficit and working towards achieving a balanced budget.
Just one of the ways that we are overspending is through outdated and
duplicative government programs that are eating away at hard earned
taxpayer dollars and digging us deeper into federal debt. For example,
the Senate Committee on Government Affairs found that there are 40
separate training and employment programs, 27 overlapping teen
pregnancies programs, and 75 programs funding international education,
culture and training exchange activities.
While these programs by themselves may be fine, there is no reason why
we need to have multiple government programs with the same goals and
missions. In fact, there is no one who is really monitoring these
programs and keeping the federal government accountable. Essentially,
programs are created – sometimes temporarily – and they continue to
receive funding, despite whether they are meeting the purposes they were
created to accomplish, despite whether the program is actively serving
the public, and despite whether a newer, more effective program has been
created. This is unacceptable, and it is our responsibility in Congress
to see that this spending problem is taken care of.
That is why I have cosponsored an important initiative called the
Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies (CARFA)
Act, which aims at making our government spending more efficient by
establishing a federal commission to study and review duplicative,
outdated, and wasteful spending, with the purpose of making
recommendations to Congress on how to realign its spending. The
Commission, upon completion of its two-year review, would submit to
Congress its recommendations for both the consolidation and elimination
of domestic agencies and programs that have fallen into one or more of
the areas of review. It would also submit proposed legislation to
implement these recommendations. This review system would make
suggestions on eliminating programs that are unneeded and wasteful so
that we can help ensure that our taxpayer dollars are going to those
programs deemed effective.
Almost anyone who has balanced the family checkbook knows that
controlling spending includes cutting out the excess –memberships that
aren’t being used, magazine subscriptions that go unread, the things
that aren’t necessary anymore. Congress must take the same
responsibility for the federal government’s bank account by creating a
responsible budget and cutting duplicative, outdated, and wasteful
spending. When our economy is floundering, unemployment rates are
rising, and gas tanks are running nearly on empty because of the price
of gas, it is the least we can do.
If you have an idea on ways you think we can effectively decrease the
federal deficit, I want to hear from you. Visit my Solutions Lab to
share your ideas at
http://forbes.house.gov/solutionslab. |
