Budget and Fiscal Responsibility
Families across western and central Wisconsin know a budget is about priorities. Responsible budgeting also means adhering to some basic principles: don’t spend more than you take in and make smart investments that will help you down the road. With that in mind, I’m working to restore fiscal accountability and discipline in Congress.
Deficit Reduction Plan
I’m committed to making the tough decisions to actually cut wasteful and unnecessary spending. We can do that by reforming four categories of spending.
- Rising health care costs are the fastest area of spending in the federal budget. We must change the way we pay for health care to get these costs under control. Fortunately, recent health care reform puts us on a path to do this.
- Current weapons programs are $300 billion over budget - we must bring these costs under control.
- We must reform our outdated taxpayer-funded farm subsidy programs. They are not responsible to taxpayers, do not help family farmers, and have distorted the marketplace.
Office Budget Giveback
My commitment to fiscal responsibility extends to my congressional office, where I have direct control over the budget. Working with my staff, I have identified savings and cuts every year that we can make to operate my offices in the most fiscally responsible manner possible.
In 2012, I found $81,326 in my office budget to return to the U.S. Treasury, bringing the total amount of federal funds that I have returned to taxpayers to over $1.4 million since I came to Congress. Last year’s savings are on top of the sequester cuts facing the federal government, which during 2013 will lower my office budget by 8.2%.
Of course, my annual budget givebacks are not going to solve our budget problems alone. But that’s no excuse to not do what I can to make a stand on behalf of the taxpayer and show that it’s possible for elected officeholders to provide excellent constituent service on a lean budget.
Default
We cannot let America default on our obligations because we are unwilling to work together to find a compromise on the budget. I know we can find common ground and make the tough decisions necessary to get us on a sound fiscal path. Hear me talk about the importance of putting partisanship aside and cutting wasteful spending in this Fox News interview.
It is imperative that we start making decisions that will guarantee our children inherit a better country. We must restore fiscal responsibility to get this economy growing again.
More on Budget and Fiscal Responsibility
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ron Kind voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This legislation will lower health care and prescription drug costs for families, make investments to tackle climate change, and create jobs all while combating inflation and reducing the deficit.
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ron Kind voted for the bipartisan omnibus appropriations package, a legislative measure to fund the federal government for the fiscal year. Additionally, Rep. Kind applauded the inclusion of funding in the package for five Community Projects in Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District. These projects will deliver over $11 million in federal funds to Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District.
La Crosse, WI – Today, Rep. Ron Kind is highlighting key funding priorities for fiscal year 2022. Each year, Congress considers several appropriations measures which provide funding for government operations and other activities. The appropriations cycle starts with the President’s budget proposal, and appropriations measures are typically debated and voted on through the spring and summer.
Washington, DC —Last night, Rep. Ron Kind voted to support the year-end package that included a number of priorities he has worked on for Wisconsin families.
Rep. Ron Kind Votes to Provide Relief to Wisconsin Workers and Families as COVID-19 Crisis Continues
La Crosse, WI —Last week, Rep. Ron Kind (WI-03) joined Reps. Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Gwen Moore (WI-04) in introducing the bipartisan Farmer’s Milk in Low-Income Kitchens (MILK) Act, which would expand the existing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Milk Donation program to help get milk into the hands of the food insecure. The bill authorizes the USDA to act as a matchmaker between dairy producers with excess milk with food banks that can distribute that milk to those in need.
Rep. Kind Votes to Help Wisconsin’s Frontline Workers, Families, and Local Governments During Crisis
Washington, D.C. – Today, Rep. Ron Kind voted for the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, which passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. This bill ensures state and local governments have the resources they need to continue to manage the health and economic consequences of COVID-19.
La Crosse, WI - Yesterday, Reps. Ron Kind (WI-03) and Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Senators Jeanne Shaheen (NH) and Michael Bennet (CO) introduced legislation to fix a flawed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) loan program to help health care providers respond to the financial pressures caused by COVID-19 pandemic.
La Crosse, WI – Today, Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) introduced legislation to ensure college students and adult dependents are eligible to receive federal relief funding in the form of direct payments. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, most families will receive an economic stimulus payment of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child.