Anyone who has opened the paper recently has been confronted by some pretty grisly budget numbers. Last year, the budget deficit was a record $1.4 trillion. The latest projections show that this year’s deficit will be almost as bad, $1.35 trillion. Missourians are worried about our deficit and debt, and they should be. I am, too.
Missourians are fiercely independent people, and in our state, it’s not unusual for me to hear from people on every side of every issue. People in Missouri are in agreement on one issue though – it’s time for the folks in Washington to stop jeopardizing our country’s future by running up the balance on its credit card. Although I’ve been commuting to work in Washington for three years now, Missouri is my home and I know that is not how we do things in the Show-Me State. Real budget reform can’t wait.
That’s why I chose to do what many in Washington are scared to do: reach across the aisle and form a partnership with a Republican colleague who frequently has a different perspective. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., and I don’t agree on everything, but we are in agreement that our country needs to slow down spending. That’s why we have introduced legislation that would force Congress to show some restraint by placing hard caps on discretionary spending.
Discretionary spending caps were one of the reforms made in the 1990s that helped achieve budget surpluses. Unfortunately, those reforms were allowed to expire in 2002 by the Republican-controlled Congress and President Bush, and the consequences have been severe.
I pride myself on being up front, so it’s important to point out that this legislation alone won’t solve our huge fiscal problems. I’m working on other measures that will also help get our fiscal house in order. I introduced Pay-As-You-Go legislation that would require Congress to find a way to pay for any proposed new spending. And, I’ve joined with a bipartisan group of senators to create a Fiscal Task Force.
Nearly all Missourians have faced challenges due to this economic recession, and most are trying to tighten their belts and find ways to stretch their dollars. It’s about time the federal government did the same.
U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and her staff can be reached at (417) 868-8745 or at www.mccaskill.senate.gov.[[In-content Ad]]
