On the recordApril 9, 2014
I appreciate the chairman and the opportunity to stand and discuss the budget that we have before us. I find it so interesting that our constituents are watching this. They are paying attention because they are concerned, and with good reason. As one of my constituents said in a town hall meeting: I have got to tell you, I have got too much month left at the end of my money, and I am tired of it. I am tired of what this economy has been doing to my opportunities--wage stagnation, increases in health care costs. The American people are over it, and they are ready to see the Federal Government start to live within its means. Think about it like this. This is the week when millions of Americans are sitting around the kitchen table looking at their income tax form, filling it out, trying to make certain that they do it right. Let me ask you a question: Is it fair, is it right, for the men and women, the taxpayers, hardworking taxpayers in this country, is it right and fair to require them to send money to Washington, money that they don't have, money that causes them to struggle to meet their bills and to live within their means--they are struggling every month, and they have to send money to Washington to a government that refuses to live within its means. This is what we are talking about, and this is why a budget that actually makes $5.1 trillion worth of spending cuts is important.…
