The President's Budget Is Not What's Best for America

Townhall Staff | April 21, 2009 12:45 PM

Guest blog post from Congressman Robert Aderholt.

Last week’s Tea Parties were a powerful message to Washington in protest of the “spend and tax” binge that the federal government has been on over the last several months. The last thing struggling families need is Washington taking even more money out of their pockets.

Every day, Americans are making tough choices as they deal with this economic recession. Families are tightening their budgets and small businesses are cutting expenses. I believe that the federal government has to do the same when it comes to the federal budget.

As most Americans know, over the last few months Congress has gone on an unprecedented spending spree. It began with the so-called “bailout” last Fall, then the “stimulus package”, which was intended to create jobs. Instead, it put taxpayers on the hook for a $1 trillion bill that will only stimulate more government and more debt. Several weeks later, the Congressional leadership rushed through Congress more than $400 billion in an “omnibus” spending plan to fund the government for only seven months.

I voted against all of these bills because I believe that massive spending will not lead to a growing economy; it will only lead to a mountain of debt to be inherited by our children and grandchildren and possibly beyond.

The American people know that we can’t borrow and spend our way back to prosperity. The path to our economic recovery starts with fiscal responsibility in Washington.

Instead of continuing a policy of bail-outs and the nationalization of our economy, I call on the President and Congressional leadership, to reach across the aisle to work together and consider ideas from all House members, not just those in the Democrat majority.

Congressman Aderholt represents Alabama's 4th Congressional District and serves on the House Committee on the Budget.