Sen. Cornyn: American People Deserve Fiscal Responsibility, Not Photo Ops

Statement

Sen. Cornyn: American People Deserve Fiscal Responsibility, Not Photo Ops

Says President Obama must get serious about reining in out-of-control spending

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Finance and Budget Committees, released the following statement regarding President Obama's first meeting with Cabinet officials, where he discussed reducing funding in each agency's budget.

"President Obama's call for fiscal restraint is more than welcomed by me and my Republican colleagues in the United States Senate. Unfortunately, it is 90 days late and trillions of dollars short. Since taking office, President Obama and Congressional Democrats have gone on an unprecedented spending spree. Between Inauguration Day and Tax Day, Congress has spent more than we have for Iraq, Afghanistan, and in response to Hurricane Katrina - combined. Now, the President is asking his Cabinet to cut $100 million over the next 90 days? To put this in perspective, the federal government currently spends $100 million every 13.5 minutes. The American people deserve more leadership and action on fiscal responsibility than this dog-and-pony show.

"To date, President Obama has targeted only one cabinet agency for significant spending cuts - the Department of Defense. The cuts at the Pentagon reflect skewed budget priorities and will weaken our nation's ability to counter future threats. Our troops deserve the very best equipment and resources to defend us, especially at a time when we are fighting a global war on two fronts.

"I hope the Obama administration will take real action to rein in its out-of-control spending. If the President is truly serious about the task at hand, he should focus on cutting hundreds of billions of dollars instead of calling for a one-time reduction."

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