Gilbert Gutknecht: “this Congress has accomplished something that was once considered impossible. When the other party controlled this…”

“this Congress has accomplished something that was once considered impossible. When the other party controlled this House, some of their Members talked a good game about balancing the budget, but when I was elected just 4 years ago, the deficit stood at over $200 billion and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, was going to get worse, not better. We said that we would balance the budget within 7 years by slowing the growth in entitlement spending, putting a flexible freeze on defense spending and making targeted cuts in domestic discretionary and other areas. We eliminated over 300 wasteful and unnecessary Washington programs and streamlined countless others. Mr. Speaker, on October 1st, we will celebrate the first balanced budget in almost 30 years, 4 years ahead of schedule, and we will have a large surplus. We did it while keeping our promise to provide tax relief for working families. Mr. Speaker, what a difference a Republican Congress has made.”