Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Chairman, this evening, I offer an amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill that would cut spending back to the fiscal year 2008 level.

While I appreciate the work of the Appropriations Committee in crafting this important bill, I recognize that we should go further to cut reckless spending. Washington has a spending problem, and we can't afford to kick the can down the road any longer.

My amendment makes an across-the-board cut of more than 11 percent to the bill in order to decrease the amount back to the fiscal year 2008 level, saving nearly $2 billion for the taxpayers.

We are over $18 trillion in our national debt. This is merely a drop in the bucket, and we owe it to our constituents to cut even more to restore fiscal sanity in Washington. Defense accounts are exempt from this cut because Congress is expected to take up the National Defense Authorization Act in the near future to address those programs.

Mr. Chairman, when I first ran for Congress, I was repeatedly asked: ``If you are elected, what programs would you cut?''

The answer I gave was: ``First, I would go back to 2008 spending levels, and then we will start cutting.''

My amendment does just this. It allows us to return to the point when we can finally get serious about paying down our national debt and saving future generations from economic disaster. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Chair, I acknowledge the fine point the gentlewoman made that we can't cut discretionary spending to get ourselves out of debt. She makes two valid points: we need more revenue and we need to address the mandatory spending side. I agree wholeheartedly. We need tax reform to get us more revenue, to get the economy generated, to get people back to work, and we also need to look at saving Social Security and Medicare, shoring them up for future generations and controlling the cost curve. She makes a valid point.

I also want to acknowledge that Chairman Simpson and the Committee on Appropriations have actually made real cuts over the last few years. He also makes a valid point that we have actually cut discretionary spending in real dollars. I would say to you, Mr. Chairman, we can do more. I just believe that if you look at the path we are on, we are heading, if we don't spend another dime, toward a horrific debt crisis in this country. We just can't afford to sit back and not deal with that.

I believe we do need to work on the mandatory side for sure because that is the real driver of our debt. But in the meantime, let's go back to pre-stimulus time, let's go back to 2008 spending levels because I don't remember the Federal Government starving for money. I don't remember the Federal Government just barely being able to function because it didn't have enough revenue back in 2008. I think it is prudent for us to do that. It is about jobs, it is about the economy, it is about our future generation, our children and grandchildren who are going to have to actually pay the bills that we are running up right now. Mr. Chairman, I would ask my colleagues to please support the amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source