Issue Position: Budget

Issue Position

Values

Believes that Congress has a responsibility to the American people to rein in wasteful and excessive spending. Currently, the national debt is more than $19 trillion. To put that in perspective, that is more than $59,000 per citizen. High debt means a future of high interest, high inflation, and low jobs. We cannot sustain this path.

My generation elected the officials who made the decisions to excessively spend and borrow. My generation received whatever benefits were had from all the spending. Therefore, my generation of political leaders has an obligation to solve the nation's debt problem and not simply pass the burden onto our children and grandchildren.

Actions

Supports a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, which would control spending by prohibiting the federal government from spending more than it receives in revenues. Virginia and many other states already operate under similar guidelines. Specifically, resolutions H. J. Res. 1 and H. J. Res. 2 would require that Congress not spend more than it receives in revenues, require the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress, and require a 3/5 majority vote to increase the national debt limit.

Supported Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan, H. Con. Res. 96, which would establish the budget for Fiscal Year 2015. This resolution would balance the budget and reduce spending by more than $5.1 trillion over the next ten years.

Supported the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 (H.R. 3547), also referred to as the "omnibus," to fund the federal government for Fiscal Year 2014. This bipartisan agreement reduces the deficit by about $23 billion. Importantly, the legislation replaces $63 billion in blind, across-the-board sequester cuts with $85 billion in non-tax revenue and targeted spending cuts.

Supported the No Budget No Pay Act (H.R. 325), which suspended the statutory debt limit through May 18, 2013, and required that salaries of members of Congress be withheld beginning on April 16 if their respective chamber had not adopted a budget resolution by that date.

Cosponsored the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2013 (H.R. 24), which would direct the Government Accountability Office to conduct a complete audit of the Fed within one year of the bill becoming law.

Cosponsored the Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act (H.R. 879) to improve the oversight aspect of government funding and be better able to hold federal agencies and bureaus accountable for how they spend taxpayer money.

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