On the recordJuly 17, 2018
I will address the amendment. The purpose of this amendment is to try to make a small dent in what I consider to be the overall excessive spending that is going on here. In the year which we are currently in, we anticipate borrowing about 22 percent of the Federal budget. A few years ago, we had that number down to around 11 percent--and to a certain extent because of the hurricanes, but to a certain extent not--we now are borrowing up to 22 percent. President Trump, at the time he originally submitted the budget for this time, which was before the budget agreement was reached, I think, anticipated spending over $50 billion less than the amount that was spent in the last year. I tried to look at something to just give a little bit, a tip of the cap, to President Trump's request. I think he is paying a lot more attention to the burden we are placing on our children and grandchildren than Congress collectively. And I looked at the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. I am requesting a 15 percent reduction in both of those numbers. It seems when you reduce anything else, it seems to plan that it is a matter of life and death, and horrible things are going to happen. I like the arts. I don't know if I like the humanities quite as much as the arts, but they are okay, too.…
