Record Spending Passed in 2009 Without Congress Even Reading Bills

By Congressman John Culberson john-culbersonOn the last official working day of the year for the House the liberal majority rushed through 4 bills that increased the national debt limit by $300 billion rechurned $150 billion from the TARP slush fund and spent another $600 billion.  Unfortunately these bills are just the latest in the pattern that the Democrats have created.  Record spending bills have been passing the House all year without a chance for the American people and Members of Congress to read them.  Earlier this year House Democrats passed a $24 billion cap and tax bill and gave the public less than 24 hours to read it.  This bill is likely to be the largest tax increase in American history raising energy prices on every American costing thousands of Texans their jobs all for a questionable environmental impact.  Analysis by the Heritage Foundation shows that in 2012 the first year of the cap and tax program nearly 2 million people will lose their jobs.  Texas Congressional District Seven is expected to lose more than 4000 jobs and personal income is projected to decline by over $560 million.  The next order of business for House Democrats was rushing through a government run health care bill that raises taxes and spending drives up premiums and cuts Medicare. This bill is exactly the wrong kind of reform and it ignores the millions of Americans who have stood up and said no" to government run health care.  Fiscal conservatives recognize that our health care system needs a tune up not a trade in.  We have put together a better alternative for health care reform that will cut costs; eliminate the waste fraud and abuse in Medicare; make insurance portable; allow small businesses to pool together to negotiate coverage; and provide tax credits not penalties to businesses that insure their employees. Later in the year Speaker Pelosi jammed a massive $447 billion omnibus spending bill through the House and again gave members and the public less than 24 hours to read the bill.  This bloated spending bill when combined with other appropriations bills represents an 85 increase in non-defense non-veterans discretionary spending over the past two years.  Never before have so few spent so much in so little time. As a dedicated fiscal conservative I have opposed these reckless spending sprees regardless of who was in the Oval Office.  I voted against $2.3 trillion worth of spending under the Bush Administration and have voted against $6.7 trillion worth of spending this year.  I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1557 the SAFE Commission Act which will help craft legislation to address our current fiscal crisis and put us on a path towards economic stability. I have also authored legislation to give the American people a chance to read the bills Congress is debating.  Earlier this year I introduced H.Res. 554 a resolution requiring the House of Representatives to make bills and conference reports available online for 72 hours before they are considered by the House. This resolution will enhance public participation in our democracy and help restore the public trust in government by raising the level of openness order and discourse. I believe it is time to let Americans keep more of what they earn and for the government to spend less.  It is time to start trusting and empowering individual Americans instead of the federal government.  By taking these steps our economy will see the growth and prosperity that have defined America for generations.
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