Federal Spending and Borrowing

The growth of government spending is out of control. In the past four years our nation has added about $6 trillion in new debt borrowed against our children and grandchildren’s' future. Unfortunately, both parties have been complicit in increasing government spending dramatically, though for very different reasons. Today our nation faces $16 trillion in debt, much of it owed to foreign countries hostile to our economic interests and way of life. While some believe that these challenges can simply be put off to a later date, I believe that the time to act against higher borrowing is now. 

I believe that part of the solution to our debt problem is to scale back the federal government and return to the private sector any federal job that could be done more efficiently by a business. There is any number of tasks performed by the federal government which could be provided at both lower cost and higher efficiency by a privately-operated business with real concerns about keeping costs down. 

A second common-sense step is to limit the duplicative duties of many federal agencies, which often conflict and can be counterproductive. For example, in Siskiyou County, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Environmental Protection Agency all believe that they have a role in the regulation of water supply and use.  These agencies provide conflicting direction, fight amongst themselves and generally fail to provide the area's farmers and ranchers with any clear path to profitable operation. Add in the regular disputes these agencies have with similar entities in California's state government and there is a wide array of government workers doing essentially the same job - an incredibly expensive and counterproductive way to operate.   

For more information concerning my work and views on Spending Cuts and Debt, please contact me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you.

More on Federal Spending and Borrowing

Oct 16, 2020 Press Release
(Happy Camp, CA) — Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after receiving confirmation that President Trump will take action to reverse FEMA’s decision to deny Siskiyou County a Major Disaster Declaration.
Oct 1, 2020 Press Release
(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issues the following statement after voting against H.R. 925, Speaker Pelosi’s second partisan coronavirus package this year. This bill is estimated to cost the American taxpayer $2.4 trillion and was drafted behind closed doors without Republican input.
Sep 22, 2020 Press Release
(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after voting in favor of H.R. 8319, the Continuing Appropriations Act, which funds the government through December 11th, 2020. This Appropriations package includes $30 billion to reimburse the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), which provides funding for agriculture programs, along with an $8 billion extension of Pandemic-EBT program (P-EBT), which reimburses families for meals they typically rely on schools to provide for their children.
Sep 10, 2020 Press Release
(Oroville, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after President Trump amended the federal Major Disaster Declaration for California to include Butte, Plumas, and Yuba Counties, making them eligible for direct federal funding for emergency protective measures as a result of the North Complex fires. Emergency protective measures are actions taken by an area before, during, and after a disaster to eliminate or reduce an immediate threat to life, public health or safety, or significant damage to public or private property. The Major Disaster Declaration went into effect on August 22, 2020 for several other California counties.
Sep 10, 2020 Press Release
(Paradise, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced two grants totaling $76,989,729 to assist with Camp Fire recovery in Paradise. The first grant awards $48,272,229 to Paradise Irrigation District (PID) to repair damage to water mains, including contaminated pipes, and restore and update their infrastructure to current standards. The second grant awards $28,717,500 to the Town of Paradise to restore roads damaged during debris removal activities. As a result of debris removal, the roads have incurred permanent damage due to the frequent hauling of debris and transportation of heavy equipment.
Sep 9, 2020 Press Release
(Oroville, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) authorized Fire Management Assistance Grants (FMAG) to assist the state of California in combating the Bear Fire, currently burning in Butte, Plumas, and Yuba Counties, and the Slater Fire, currently burning in Siskiyou County. FMAGs provide federal funding for up to 75 percent of eligible firefighting costs, including expenses for field camps, equipment use, materials, supplies and mobilization, and demobilization activities.
Jul 31, 2020 Press Release
(Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after voting against H.R. 7617, the Defense, Commerce, Justice, Science, Energy, Water Development, Financial Services, General Government, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development appropriations package.
Jul 24, 2020 Press Release
Washington, DC) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after his rural broadband and veterans’ affairs provisions were included in H.R. 7608, and subsequently passed the House.
Jul 21, 2020 Press Release
(Modoc County, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa issued the following statement after the House passed H.R. 6395, the National Defense Authorization Act, which included an amendment requesting the former site of an Over-The-Horizon Backscatter (OTHB) Radar System located in Modoc National Forest be sold to Modoc County by the U.S. Forest Service. Despite not being active since 1991, this land remains leased to the Air Force until they remove all buildings, power lines, and other infrastructure on the property. This amendment rids the Air Force of that responsibility and transfers the land and its existing infrastructure to Modoc County to be used for economic development purposes, specifically solar or biomass energy.
Jul 13, 2020 Press Release
(Washington, DC) — Congressman Doug LaMalfa, joined by the California Republican delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives, sent a letter to Governor Newsom requesting he immediately release federal funding from the Coronavirus Relief Fund created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. According the local health officials, Governor Newsom has threatened to withhold this funding from several counties if they refused to comply with state shutdown mandates. California received $15.3 billion in funds from the Coronavirus Relief Fund earlier this year, $9.5 billion of which was disbursed to the state with the intention of the state sending the money to smaller counties.

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