Issue Position: Spending and Debt

Issue Position

As a new Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I strongly support the call of the American people to reduce government spending and bring our national debt under control. As I have traveled around Kentucky's Sixth Congressional District, people have consistently told me that restoring fiscal responsibility is their number one priority, and that they sent me to Washington to force the government to live within its means.

Regrettably, years of reckless spending in Washington have compromised our ability to fund every priority at the level needed. Rather than put our nation on a financially sustainable path that will help us grow in the future, we find ourselves with a $17 trillion national debt that grows by an alarming $2 billion each day. This is a burden to ourselves, and a greater burden to our children and grandchildren. Future generations will have to work longer and harder to receive less as they shoulder the burden of debt that our federal government is now creating.

I believe that establishing responsible budget will ultimately help grow our economy and help create good, sustainable jobs for the American people. This year, I voted to restore fiscal responsibility in this country with my support of the House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's Budget. This budget balances our nation's finances in 10 years and stops spending money we do not have. It forces the government to live within its means, and moves us closer to pro-growth tax reform without raising taxes -- because families and small businesses should be able to keep more of their hard-earned income instead of having it wasted by Washington bureaucrats.

While many in Washington believe that raising taxes is always the answer, I believe that we must instead focus on living within a budget and setting our funding priorities. That is why I have already supported a number of legislative initiatives that will help control government spending and get our fiscal house in order.

* I have cosponsored two balanced budget amendments to limit spending, rollback the size of government, and require congressional approval to raise taxes or the debt ceiling.

* I have supported No Budget, No Pay legislation that requires Members of Congress to fulfill their annual duty of approving a budget resolution or go without their salaries.

* I have cosponsored the H.R. 1999, the Savings, Accountability, Value, and Efficiency (SAVE) Act. This legislation, a product of the bipartisan United Solutions Caucus on which I serve, requires a number of agencies to implement Government Accountability Office recommendations to eliminate duplicative and wasteful programs, saving up to $200 billion in taxpayer dollars over a decade.

Source