Shrinking Government

Government keeps growing at a pace comparable to the size of our out of control spending.  The burdens it places on everyday Granite Staters keep multiplying, too.  As your representative in Washington, Congressman Guinta says he hopes that you will not only judge him on the legislation he files, but also on the legislation he repeals. 

The federal government has added 155,000 new workers since the 2008.  It is no coincidence that private-sector employment continues to recover only sluggishly while the government grows at tremendous speeds.  To fuel the public sector’s growth, Washington has two options:  it must either tax the private sector or increase our debt, neither of which Congressman Guinta will support. 

That is why he supports the reforms called for in the Path to Prosperity budget, aimed at slowing the federal government’s unsustainable growth.  It reduces the public-sector bureaucracy, not through layoffs, but via a gradual, sensible attrition policy, permitting the federal government to hire only one new employee for every three federal workers who retire.  By 2014, this reform will result in a 10 percent reduction in the federal workforce.

One of the things Congressman Guinta hears most often from Granite Staters is: “Can’t Congress do something about all that red tape Washington keeps imposing on us?”  You’ve probably heard it, too.  And with good reason.  The federal government is in regulatory overdrive. In response, Congressman Guinta has taken action to help New Hampshire small businesses overburdened by government overregulation.  You can read more about his efforts in an edition of his bi-weekly Frankly Speaking column titled "Frankly Speaking: Ending Red Tape Run Wild" by clicking here.

Congressman Guinta co-sponsored and voted for H.J. Res. 2, A Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution

• H.J. Res. 2 would amend the Constitution to prohibit federal spending in any fiscal year from exceeding receipts for that year. The balanced budget requirement could be waived in a given year if three-fifths of both chambers approve a law to allow spending to exceed revenues. In addition, the amendment would require a vote of three-fifths of both chambers to increase the statutory debt limit. The language in that bill was the same as an earlier Balanced Budget Amendment that passed the House of Representatives in 1995 with 300 votes from Republicans and Democrats alike. On November 18, 2011, although Rep. Guinta voted in favor, H.J. Res. 2 failed to receive the two-thirds necessary to pass; the final vote was 261 to 165.
• You can read more about the vote on H.J. Res. 2 by clicking here.
• You can also read Rep. Guinta's column on a Balanced Budget Amendment by clicking here.

Congressman Guinta co-sponsored H.R. 3029, the Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act of 2011

• H.R. 3029 requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure that the number of federal employees, beginning in FY2015, does not exceed 90% of the total number of such employees as of September 30th, 2011 and that agencies reduce their workforce through attrition by not appointing more than one employee for every three retiring.

Congressman Guinta co-sponsored H.R. 4, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act (removing the 1099 provision from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act).

• H.R. 4 repeals the burdensome tax reporting requirement for businesses as enacted by the new health care law.  The 1099 provision required businesses to file forms to the IRS for every vendor with which they have at least $600 in transactions for purchases of goods. This requirement would have imposed a huge compliance burden on small businesses, forcing them to devote even more resources to the tax preparation process and away from job creation and expansion.

Congressman Guinta co-sponsored H.R. 605, the Patients Freedom to Choose Act.

• H.R. 605 would repeal two provisions included in last year’s healthcare law that limit a patient’s choice of how to use their consumer-directed health plans. The first provision this bill seeks to repeal is a ban on the use of tax free Flexible Spending Arrangements (FSAs) and Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) funds to purchase over-the-counter medication without a prescription, and the second is a federally mandated cap of $2,500 on FSA contributions.  This would decrease the burdensome paper work for doctors and the raising the cost of care for hard working families.