Congressman Robert Hurt
Weekly Column 2/11/13
Even as our economy continues to suffer from our nation’s crushing debt and as the Congressional Budget Office projected a nearly $900 billion deficit for the next year, President Obama continues to demonstrate that he is not serious about addressing our nation’s pressing debt problem. At over $16 trillion and counting, the national debt is on an unsustainable path that is destroying jobs, slowing economic growth, and harming families, farmers, and small business owners all across Virginia’s 5th District.
At a time when those across this country are counting on true leadership in Washington to address this spending-driven debt crisis, the House of Representatives has stepped up to the plate by adopting measures that require the Senate to join us in working toward meaningful deficit reduction by adopting a budget for the first time in four years, and by requiring that the President show us his plan to balance the budget.
Unfortunately, the President continues to kick the can down the road. This past week, President Obama made a request that Congress once again delay the spending cuts, or the sequester, that he proposed to offset his request in August 2011 to raise the debt ceiling. The President’s across-the-board cuts are disproportionately set to impact our military and the commonwealth. And while it is my hope that these devastating cuts proposed by the President can be avoided, the only thing more irresponsible would be granting the President’s request and delaying meaningful spending reduction yet again.
For the future of this great nation, we in the House believe that we must make spending cuts that will pay for the cost of the President’s request to raise the debt ceiling in August of 2011, but we do not believe that the sequester that the President proposed is the appropriate way to make those cuts. That is why, in 2012, the House adopted two measures that will replace the President’s arbitrary cuts with reasonable and responsible spending reforms.
And while the Senate has not acted on those proposals and the President has not put forth a proposal of his own to replace the sequester, we in the House remain committed to finding responsible ways to pay down our debt, balance our budget, and promote job creation.
Fifth District Virginians are deeply concerned with the federal government’s out of control spending and it is critical that the President and the Senate stop kicking the can down the road and join with the House in leading on this important issue; we have reached the end of the road. The future of this great country depends upon their participation and I look forward to working on behalf of the 5th District to achieve meaningful spending reforms so that we may pass a more prosperous nation to our children than was passed to us.
If you need any additional information, please visit my website at hurt.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-4711, Charlottesville office: (434) 973-9631, Danville office: (434) 791-2596, or Farmville office: (434) 395-0120.
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