Charles Boustany: “Mr. Chairman, as I look at the flag behind the Speaker's chair, I am reminded about how great our country truly is. If…”

“Mr. Chairman, as I look at the flag behind the Speaker's chair, I am reminded about how great our country truly is. If our country is going to remain great, we have to face the threats that are out there, and there are many, many threats. Clearly, the Homeland Security appropriations bill is an important piece of work to deal with those threats. But there is a threat that's not quite so insidious, and it's the threat of spending, runaway spending in the face of the second largest tax increase in American history. We need to get serious about this threat, this threat to future generations. We owe it to the American family to be responsible stewards of their hard-earned tax dollars. I am gravely concerned about the disconnect between a lot of the high rhetoric I hear coming from the other side and the harsh reality that we seem to face here. The rhetoric we hear from the Democratic leadership is about fiscal responsibility and oversight and transparency and full disclosure. But the harsh reality is about none of those things. I don't see full disclosure here. I don't see transparency. I am deeply concerned about this threat of runaway spending.”