Robert Hurt: Washington has a spending problem, not a ‘We don’t tax people enough’ problem

Every day our office receives hundreds of phone calls, e-mails, faxes, and letters from people across the 5th District regarding the pressing issues that affect Central and Southside Virginians and all Americans.

Hearing from and listening to constituents on a daily basis is a constant reminder that our top priority in Washington is to serve the people of the 5th District and the people of this country.

To encourage constituents to communicate with their elected officials through new social media outlets, YouTube launched a program called YouTube Town Hall, which allows constituents to pose questions on the most important issues facing our nation, and provides an online platform for Members of Congress to film direct video responses.

This past week, I participated in a YouTube Town Hall. In my video, Washington Has A Spending Problem, I outlined the gravity of our current debt crisis and that we must change course to get our country on more sound fiscal and economic footing to grow our economy, create jobs, and preserve this great nation for our children and grandchildren.

Given the President’s announcement this past week that he wants to push another round of failed, taxpayer-funded stimulus, our spending-driven debt crisis and the need to get our fiscal house in order continue to be issues that must be addressed.

You can watch Washington Has A Spending Problem by visiting hurt.house.gov and you can read the transcript below:

Washington has a spending problem, plain and simple. Since President Obama took office, the national debt has increased by 3.7 trillion dollars, and now stands at over 14 trillion dollars – higher than any time in American history and nearly equal to the size of our entire economy.

With a 1.5 trillion dollar deficit, we are borrowing over 40 cents of every dollar we spend, leaving each American citizen with more than 46 thousand dollars of debt owed to our creditors.

This reckless government spending has very real and negative consequences for the people of Virginia’s 5th District and all Americans. The economic uncertainty it causes is stifling job creation, and Washington’s continued fiscal mismanagement threatens the very future of our country.

That is why setting budget priorities—and more importantly, passing a budget—is necessary now more than ever.

As we work to get our fiscal house in order to help grow the economy and create jobs, the last thing we need is job-destroying tax hikes on our families and small businesses. With far too many 5th District Virginians and Americans out of work, we should not punish taxpayers for Washington’s fiscal irresponsibility at a time when they can least afford it.

Washington has a spending problem, not a ‘we don’t tax people enough’ problem, and for the sake of our children and grandchildren, we must rectify this debt crisis by making the tough but necessary choices to force Washington to live within its means, so that we can preserve the American dream for future generations.

If you need any additional information on these or any other issues, please visit my website at

Robert Hurt is a United States congressman.

Robert Hurt: Reducing unnecessary regulations to create long-term economic growth

Making over 30 stops across the 5th District along Route 29 this past week I talked to and met with many Central and Southside Virginians about the pressing issues currently facing our nation. Whether it was in Danville, Chatham, Gretna, Altavista, Bedford, Forest, Lynchburg, Rustburg, Piney River, Lovingston, Arrington, Charlottesville, or Ruckersville, the overwhelming message I heard from constituents – Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike – was that we must take action to address both our dire debt crisis and our unacceptable level of unemployment.

A solution to these related issues is to adopt policies that help create long term economic growth in the 5th District and across the nation.

One of the most effective ways to jumpstart our economy, unleash innovation, and invite opportunity is to remove the federal government as a barrier to job growth and change the way Washington does business to provide our farmers and small businesses – our true job creators – with the confidence and freedom necessary to do their jobs to the fullest, hire, and expand.

An important component in our efforts to shrink the size and scope of the federal government to encourage a sustainable economic recovery includes putting an end to the Administration’s hyper-regulatory agenda.

While this general sentiment was echoed by many 5th District Virginians this past week, one specific example of government overreach that several concerned constituents discussed with me was the possibility that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) would impose regulations mandating that farmers obtain commercial driver’s licenses to use and transport farm vehicles and equipment.

The regulatory burden that the federal government places on America’s farmers is already staggering; unnecessary rules restricting the use of farm vehicles or imposing excessive regulatory requirements would only make these burdens more onerous and impede farmers’ ability to bring their crops to market at a time when they can least afford it.

Due to pressure from Congress and the agricultural community, DOT announced that it would not pursue any new rules or regulations governing the transport of agricultural products and thankfully, this nonsensical concept has been abandoned.

While this is a great announcement for the people of the 5th District, it is critical that we continue to encourage the entrepreneurial spirit by fighting against an ever-expanding federal government so that we can grow our economy and put our nation on a more sound fiscal and economic path for this and future generations.