Budget, Spending and Taxes

Where I Stand

Federal spending is out of control.  America is over $15 trillion in debt, and under our current president, federal budget deficits are running over $1 trillion a year. 

I have consistently voted against the big spending bills that got us into this mess, even when most of my party supported them. 

For example, I am proud to have voted against President Bush’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ federal takeover of our education system, against his massive expansion of the entitlement system through the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill, against his pork-filled Highway Bill that included the infamous ‘Bridge to Nowhere,' and against his Wall Street bank bailout also known as ‘TARP.'

I also vehemently opposed President Obama’s radical expansion of the federal government.  For example, I voted against his ‘Cap-and-Trade’ proposal and against Obamacare.  I also opposed and voted against his trillion dollar ‘stimulus’ package.  When the country is drowning in debt, the last thing we should be doing is borrowing even more money from overseas in an effort to spend our way out of the problem.    

Furthermore, I have voted against every foreign aid spending bill in the past 16 years.  It makes no sense to borrow money from countries like China only to then transfer that money to other foreign countries and the United Nations (UN).  

Finally, I am extremely proud to have been the ONLY member of the House of Representatives to have voted against every single increase in the federal debt limit over the past nine years.  Increasing the federal debt limit and borrowing more money from overseas is not the answer to our nation’s fiscal problems. 

America badly needs a balanced budget.  I have strongly supported and always voted for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. 

We also need a tax code that encourages economic growth and job creation here at home.  I am a strong supporter of scrapping the existing IRS code and starting over from scratch with a low flat tax that is fair for all Americans.       

Legislative Action in the 113th Congress

Please review the items below for a list of recent major actions relating to our country's budget, spending, and taxes.