Jim Inhofe: “I come to the floor this evening to announce the introduction of a bill, S. 3095. It is called the Honest Expenditure…”

“I come to the floor this evening to announce the introduction of a bill, S. 3095. It is called the Honest Expenditure Limitation Act of 2010. It spells HELP. It is the HELP Act of 2010. On February 1 of 2010, President Obama released his fiscal year 2011 budget with a funding request of $3.8 trillion. In it he announced a 3-year freeze on discretionary spending for all nonsecurity-related agencies at the fiscal year 2010 levels, which amounts to a total spending level of $460 billion each year for those agencies. Nonsecurity spending is defined as all agencies except the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of State, and one of the national security-related agencies in the Department of Energy. The administration's Office of Management and Budget estimates this initiative will save $250 billion over the coming decade. Keep in mind, that is $250 billion from where it started, which I will address in a minute. On the surface, this proposal gives the President the appearance of being fiscally prudent--something the American people have been demanding of their government, especially in recent months. But when you look closely at the numbers he has presented, it is clear as day why he is able to offer this spending freeze without batting an eye. For one, discretionary spending has increased by 20 percent in 2 years.”