Economy & Spending
Our nation faces a serious debt problem. There is no question that the federal government is on an unsustainable spending spree. Our national debt is more than $16 trillion — higher than any time in American history, and growing. Every child born today already owes more than $53,000 to our government's creditors.
Across Pennsylvania and our nation, families and businesses operate under a budget. They are forced to live within their means. I believe that the government must scale back its spending and draft its budget the same way millions of American families do each and every day.
I support a balanced budget and a Balanced Budget Amendment, which would prohibit the federal government from spending more money than it takes in. This would require the president to submit an annual balanced budget to Congress. The president and the Senate have no plan to balance the budget.
In a related manner, I have been working to reduce the size, scope, and spending of the Legislative Branch. In the 112th Congress, with my support, Congressional staff salaries and office expenses were reduced by over 10.5 percent. Additionally, in 2011, 2012, and 2013, I supported and helped pass into law pay freezes for Members of Congress.
If we are serious about achieving long-term fiscal responsibility, we must address fiscal accountability. We must target government spending.
More on Economy & Spending
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta, PA-11, today looked back on the 114th Congress and highlighted his record of achievement in a variety of areas, including saving taxpayers more than $3 billion, combating the opioid epidemic, negotiating a new Highway Bill, protecting the steel industry, and strengthening after school programs for children. The 114th Congress opened in January 2015 and already has concluded much of its business leading into its final session days in November and December of this year. The 114th Congress has constituted Barletta’s third term in the U.
Rep. Barletta was named a “Guardian of Small Business” by the National Federation of Independent Business for the third straight Congress.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta (PA-11) today applauded the announcement of a $1.65 million federal grant for Harrisburg to begin to address its sinkhole problem. The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) represents 75 percent of the $2.2 million first phase of a plan for the purchase of endangered homes and excavation of the affected area along South 14th Street in Harrisburg. Rep. Barletta’s office expressly requested that FEMA select Harrisburg for the grant in a letter also signed by Rep.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta (PA-11) today won approval for funding for the design and construction of a new federal courthouse in Harrisburg, securing a total of $194,444,000 in a resolution passed by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, of which Barletta is a member. As chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, Barletta has pushed for the project, including holding hearings in his subcommittee to discuss the proposal. The Harrisburg structure is part of the long-awaited federal courthouse
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta (PA-11) today backed bipartisan legislation that reforms and strengthens Career and Technical Education (CTE) policy to help more Americans enter the workforce with the expertise they need to compete for high-skilled, in-demand jobs. A co-sponsor of the bill, Barletta voted for the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 5587), which improves and reauthorizes the Carl D.
Click here or on image to view video of Rep. Barletta in a hearing examining cost-saving possibilities in real estate management across the federal government.
By Rep. Lou Barletta
It was like something from a Hollywood movie, but it was real. At about 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 23, a computer in an electricity distribution center in western Ukraine seemed to take on a life of its own. While a helpless worker watched, the cursor on the screen moved by itself and clicked on a box that opened a series of circuit breakers — a move that would take the entire power station offline.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta, PA-11, today hailed the Senate passage of legislation that strengthens enforcement of U.S. customs and trade laws and protects American employers and workers from unfair practices by companies in other nations. The conference report on the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (H.R.
WASHINGTON – Congressman Lou Barletta, PA-11, today voted in favor of legislation that prevents the Obama Administration’s Justice Department from unfairly targeting legitimate businesses simply because they run afoul of the president’s political agenda. The bill, H.R.
Imagine, if you will, a Pennsylvania family farm like many others, with pleasant fields growing crops meant for market – to support the farmer’s family and feed American citizens. Picture also a dry depression in one of those fields, which only gathers standing water during periods of heavy rain.
Now conjure up a confrontational federal bureaucrat decreeing that the mud puddle is protected under the new “Waters of the U.S.” rule from the Army Corps of Engineers and the unaccountable Environmental Protection Agency.