As I travel the Fifth District listening to those I represent, it is clear to me that Virginians recognize that the status quo is unsustainable. Our nation has borrowed $18 trillion, and Washington continues to borrow nearly 20 cents on every dollar it spends. Parents are gravely concerned about the impact of our national debt on their children’s futures.
Last Monday, President Obama released his budget for the Fiscal Year 2016. His $4 trillion annual budget proposal never balances – ever – making it impossible to even begin paying down our staggering debt. Over the course of ten years, his proposal includes a $2.4 trillion spending increase, a $2.1 trillion tax increase, and adds $8.5 trillion to our tremendous national debt. The President has missed yet another opportunity to put forth solutions that tackle the long-term drivers of our national debt by reforming entitlement programs.
Our nation is clearly on an unsustainable fiscal path that is exacerbated by the excessive spending culture under this Administration. With our national debt exceeding an astounding $18 trillion, we cannot afford to adopt President Obama’s budget plan, which violates bipartisan spending reforms, increases taxes on an already strained economy, never balances, and passes the buck to our children and grandchildren.
Our country needs a pro-growth budget that cuts wasteful spending, reforms the tax code, strengthens and protects entitlement programs for future generations, and most importantly – balances the budget. Each day, families across Virginia’s Fifth District are cutting back to ensure they can balance their checkbooks. Our nation’s budget should be no different. But rather than try to fix the mess we are in, the President’s recent budget proposal continues the unsustainable practice of borrowing money we do not have to pay for more reckless government spending.
Now that the President has submitted his budget proposal, the House and Senate will evaluate it and propose their own budgets. Just like our last two budgets, I fully expect that the House Budget will include responsible spending reforms to balance the budget over ten years and enact pro-growth policies to stimulate the economy.
Since coming to Congress, addressing the national deficit and crippling debt has been one of my top priorities. While we have successfully implemented some spending reforms, such as eliminating earmarks and reforming several government programs, we must take further action to rein in the programs that represent over $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities for future generations. We will never be able to balance our budget and pay down our debt without strengthening and protecting these critical programs for future generations.
I look forward to the House of Representatives once again leading the way by passing a pro-growth budget. I remain committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to balance our budget and get our fiscal house in order so that we can grow our economy and build a stronger America for our children and grandchildren
If you need any additional information or if we may be of assistance to you, 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.
Robert Hurt represents Virginia’s Fifth District in Congress.
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