Spending Cuts and Debt

scissors cutting a credit card

The hardworking families of mid and northern Michigan understand how to balance their checkbook, and the federal government needs to do the same.

Plain and simple, our obligations are growing faster than our ability to pay them.  Our $18 trillion national debt burden is unsustainable. The federal government’s spending has eroded economic confidence and caused uncertainty for job creators. We must find a way to get our spending under control. 

As a member of the House Committee on the Budget, I will fight to control spending, remove waste and eliminate the federal deficit.

More on Spending Cuts and Debt

Moolenaar Named to Appropriations Committee

January 4, 2017 Press Release

Today, Congressman John Moolenaar (R-Midland) was named to the House Appropriations Committee.

He is the first member from Michigan to be a member of the committee since 2011 and the first Michigan Republican to serve on the committee since 2009.

The Appropriations Committee and its twelve subcommittees are responsible for writing the twelve funding bills that formally set the spending levels for every department, agency and program in the federal budget.

House Passes Legislation Keeping Government Open

December 8, 2016 Press Release
"I supported this critical legislation to keep the government open and to provide certainty to our troops and our seniors. I am glad this legislation included much needed federal aid to Flint to rebuild its water infrastructure. There was a failure in Flint by all levels of government and today the federal government does its part to assist in the city's recovery."

Rep. Moolenaar's Statement on the House Republican Budget

March 15, 2016 Press Release
The conservative budget released today moves our country toward a sustainable fiscal future. The budget balances, keeps the promises that have been made to our seniors and improves our national security. It reduces spending in Washington and leaves more money where it belongs – in the pockets of hardworking Americans.

Moolenaar Speaks on Federal Budget in Montcalm

February 24, 2016 In The News
Excerpt: U.S. Congressional Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, spoke Monday on the subject of the national budget.

Moolenaar: Obama's Budget Raises Taxes and Hurts Rural Communities

February 9, 2016 Press Release
Today, President Obama released his budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year which runs from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017. Representative John Moolenaar (R-Midland), strongly opposes the president's budget.

Listening to You and Helping You With the Federal Government

January 17, 2016 Editorial
In 2015, my office assisted with over 1,000 cases involving federal agencies, including Veterans Affairs, the IRS and the Social Security Administration. It also responded to 26,172 emails and letters from constituents and held more than 150 constituent hours in counties across the district.

U.S. House Passes Balanced Budget

April 30, 2015 Press Release
This is the first ten-year balanced budget passed since 2001. It balances without raising taxes on hardworking Michigan families and it keeps the promises that have been made to seniors in the Fourth District. This budget also calls for tax reform. The tax code is 74,000 pages long and has not been overhauled in 29 years. It’s time for a simpler and fairer system.

Moolenaar Named to Budget Conference Committee

April 15, 2015 Press Release
“Members of the House and Senate have worked hard to draft a budget that balances within ten years, keeps the promises made to seniors and does not raise taxes on hardworking Americans. I am thankful for the trust placed in me, and I look forward to continuing to work on a fiscally responsible budget that will boost the slowly growing economy, create jobs and raise wages,” Moolenaar said.

House Approves a Balanced Budget for a Stronger America

March 25, 2015 Press Release
"This budget for a stronger America keeps the promises that have been made to the over 130,000 Medicare-eligible individuals and 169,000 Social Security recipients in Michigan’s Fourth Congressional District. This budget balances within ten years and does not raise taxes on hardworking Michigan taxpayers."

A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America

March 20, 2015 Editorial
Ten years is a long time to balance a budget, but it takes a long time to change the trajectory of our debt. From our nation’s founding it took more than 200 years for the government to accumulate $5 trillion in debt. In 2008, the debt was $10 trillion, and today it has skyrocketed to $18 trillion. Divided among 320 million Americans, a child born today inherits $56,250 in debt, or $225,000 for a family of four.