It was another busy week in Washington, but I’m confident we’re getting somewhere and making America great again.
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First, I want you to know I voted in favor of funding the federal government through the end of September (that’s the pesky little “CR” we always talk about).
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Since I've been here, this is the first time we’ve actually made some cuts and reduced the size of government. To break it down, we slashed $14 billion of non-defense discretionary spending—and it doesn't touch Medicare or Medicaid.
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I voted in favor of this budget because I’m happy to finally see some fiscal responsibility at play. More importantly, we gotta keep the government open so President Trump, his cabinet, and my colleagues and I can continue down the path of limited government.
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And speaking of President Trump, this week I also introduced the Legislative Line Item Veto Act, which grants him the authority to propose cancellations of specific discretionary budget amounts, direct spending limits, or targeted tax benefits within 30 days of a bill’s enactment.
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What does all that legal mumbo jumbo mean?
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It basically gives President Trump a tool to cut wasteful spending after all of us in Congress pass a budget. If there’s unnecessary spending in a bill, he can flag it and ask Congress to trim the fat before the money gets spent. He gets 30 days to do that, and if needed, Congress gets another 30 days to make a decision.
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The point is, we’re in too deep right now, and the President needs every tool to stop the reckless spending that’s digging us deeper into this hole of debt.
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We’ve got to start chipping away somewhere, and these are some big steps in the right direction.
