On the recordFebruary 8, 2012
I had the honor to be part of the Republican Congress that produced the first balanced budget in nearly 30 years. Part of that effort included providing the President line- item veto authority. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court ruled the line- item veto unconstitutional. After the dot-com and 9/11 recessions, the deficit reemerged. Again, Republicans were making progress towards eliminating the annual budget deficit, reducing it down to $161 billion in 2007. But when the Democrats took over control of Congress, we now have a monthly deficit of over $90 billion. Since 2007, I've voted more than 700 times to cut over $2.6 trillion in spending, over 150 times in 2011 alone. This bill represents another effort to rein in spending and get our fiscal house in order. It will withstand constitutional scrutiny, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
