On the recordFebruary 8, 2012
The real problem today lies with exploding and unsustainable mandatory and entitlement spending, which the Budget Committee should be addressing forthwith. Mandatory spending comprises two-thirds of the Federal budget. We only deal with a third on discretionary--most of that military--and it continues to blow up the Nation's deficit and debt at these rapid rates, putting our economy and the stability of our Nation at risk. I urge my colleagues to look beyond the opportunity for the easy press release in order to see that the line-item veto does more harm than good. We can't dismiss the fundamental tenets of the Constitution, and we can't pretend that it will have any positive effect on the Nation's financial predicament. We must put an end to these budgetary smoke screens to find more appropriate and effective ways to address our budget crisis and focus our efforts on mandatory entitlement spending, which is where the real problem is.
