To budget or not to budget?

There really is no question. American families have to set a budget to live by and stick to every year. What makes the federal government any different? Just because the numbers don’t look good for Democrats, Congress cannot just decide not to create a federal budget this year. The bottom line is that Democrats in Washington are afraid of the backlash from the American people. And frankly, they should be. According to a survey by the Associated Press, nearly 8 in 10 people in the country say they don't trust the federal government and have little faith it can solve America's ills.

Here’s something I think many of you can relate to, and that might help put the government’s spending in perspective. Let’s say your family earns $50,000 a year. If you were spending beyond your means like the federal government is projected to do this year, you would actually spend $80,600 a year. Therefore, you would be putting $30,600 on your credit cards to pay for all the extra spending. Based on the Congressional Budget Office’s 2010 deficit projection of $1.349 trillion, the government will be spending more than one and a half times what it brings in. Common sense tells families they can’t afford to spend that far beyond their means, so why shouldn’t you expect the federal government to do better?

In the current environment, practical fiscal discipline is more important than ever. House Democrats are continuing to say that there simply isn’t enough money coming into the government. While revenues are lower when the economy isn’t doing as well, the bigger problem is the massive growth in spending far beyond what’s coming in. The purpose of an annual Congressional budget is to create enforceable parameters within which Congress can consider legislation setting spending levels for programs and agencies. In the absence of a budget, there would be virtually no way to constrain spending in either the House or the Senate. If the House fails to pass a budget resolution, it will be the first time since the implementation of the 1974 Budget. We need a sensible, balanced budget to get this spending under control.

I am a cosponsor of H.J. Res. 1, the Balanced Budget Amendment. In order to get our nation’s spending habit under control, we simply cannot spend more than what we have. It’s easy for Congress to talk about a balanced budget, but until action is taken we will continue to carry huge deficits that threaten the future of our children and grandchildren. As your representative in Congress, you can be certain that I will continue to push for a budget that forces the government to live within its means and stop using its credit card to rack up more debt.