As 2012 comes to an end, we have much to look forward to as a new year begins, and with it a new Congress. Though much uncertainty surrounds us, I remain confident that our best days are still ahead.
Over the course of the last year, we have certainly faced great challenges, including our most critical challenge today of adopting policies that will keep all Americans’ taxes low while cutting spending and putting our nation back on a course to fiscal sustainability.
This past year our economy has suffered with millions Americans out of work and a $16 trillion dollar debt that threatens our very future. It is clear that the course we are on is unsustainable, which is why we in the House have stood strong on leading the charge to cut wasteful federal spending and extend the current tax rates for all Americans.
As American citizens, we own over $16 trillion in debt which leaves each man, woman, and child owing over $50,000 to our creditors. For years, we have continued big government policies that cost more than we can afford. This has resulted in many jobs shipped overseas, a dampened American entrepreneurial spirit, and a sluggish economy with tens of millions of Americans out of work.
But our future is bright – we as Americans live in the freest and most prosperous country in the world, and we have the ability to choose which path we will take for our future. We recognize that like those before us, we have a duty to leave this country a better place for our children and grandchildren than our parents and grandparents passed down to us.
And as we begin the 113th Congress, I do so with these principles in mind. Remembering those great Virginians and Americans that have come before us, and mindful of those who will come after us, I will take the oath of office knowing that it is our charge to uphold our Constitution and preserve our American way of limited government and unlimited opportunity for future generations.
In the coming Congress, we in the House remain committed to our common goals of removing the government as a barrier to job creation and restoring our country to a fiscally sustainable course while keeping taxes low. We will continue our commitment to changing the focus in Washington to saving taxpayer dollars rather than spending taxpayer dollars, and to removing the federal government as a barrier to job creation rather than expanding the federal government to impose costs and burdens on those that create jobs. It is a great honor to serve the people of Virginia’s 5th District, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the great challenges that we face.
Robert Hurt represents the Fifth District in the United States Congress.
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