By Congressman Steve Austria
Last month, President Obama presented his annual State of the Union address to Congress and the American people. While I appreciate the President’s tough talk on no more bailouts or government handouts, for three years this Administration’s tough talk has not matched its actions. Over the past three years we have heard that if we enact certain policies the economy would improve and that we would see the creation of jobs. However since his major policies, such as the $1 trillion stimulus plan, the health care plan, and the Dodd-Frank plan have been enacted we’ve seen the highest unemployment rate since the Great Depression and our deficit has more than doubled. Many of you have expressed your concerns about the same failed policies of more spending, higher taxes, and more government regulations that we have seen from this Administration. Neglecting to rein in the out-of-control spending in Washington and raising taxes on our job creators will not solve our nation’s fiscal crisis but will only create more uncertainty in our financial and business markets.
President Obama closed his State of the Union address with a reference to Abraham Lincoln: “I believe what Republican Abraham Lincoln believed: That Government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more.” It is time for this Administration and Congress to act on Lincoln’s words, begin working together to limit government and help our job creators produce the long term sustainable jobs needed to turn our economy around. Our nation has always showed resilience in the face of adversity, and I will continue to have strong faith in the American people and their ability to prosper without the need of intrusive policies and government regulations.
As a member the Appropriations Committee, I welcome the opportunity to work with the President in eliminating the wasteful Washington spending and produce a fiscally-responsible budget, something we have not seen from the Senate in over 1,000 days.