Jerry Moran: “Washington has hit the point on the political calendar when Congress and the President pound the tables and thump their…”

“Washington has hit the point on the political calendar when Congress and the President pound the tables and thump their chests over the final budget decisions of this year. Our jobs are to look past the theatrics and to make decisions based upon principle. This year we sat forth an ambitious goal that we would hold the line on spending instead of dipping into the Social Security Trust Fund. This year we have an opportunity for the first time since the Eisenhower administration to balance the budget without touching the Social Security Trust Fund. Congress needs to stand on principle. We owe it to ourselves and to future generations. For too many years, these budget negotiations did not create such a fuss. Congress and the President settled their differences the old-fashioned way: They simply spent more money. When spending exceeded revenues, they borrowed money first from the Social Security Trust Fund, then from the public, by issuing government bonds. Forty years later we have run up one heck of a tab. Our Federal debt now stands at over $5 trillion. There is hope. The Republican Congress over the past 5 years has been more serious than ever about fiscal discipline. That, coupled with a strong national economy, have put our Federal Government in the black for the first time in a generation and allowed us to retire $130 billion in Federal debt. The next step is crucial. Congress and the President need to keep their hands out of the Social Security cookie jar.”