The first order of business for Congress after returning from the August recess is to pass the 13 Appropriations Bills that keeps our government running.  It’s a struggle every year.  American families aren’t strangers to the concept of setting budget priorities to determine how their income is spent.  They understand from their individual experiences that as income changes, you must make the necessary adjustments.  It is the same for us in the Congress.  Every year Congress must reexamine its budget, set new priorities and reallocate the variable amounts of money the federal government has taken in through taxes.  

            We have had some memorable budget battles since I have been on Capitol Hill.  I have witnessed a virtual shut down of the federal government because Republican leaders in Congress and President Bill Clinton could not agree on priorities.  In the end, President Clinton prevailed and his persistence set off eight unprecedented years of economic expansion culminating in the largest budget surplus in history.  

            Now Congress sits at another crossroads.  In just eight short months, we have witnessed a reversal of the progress made over the last eight years.  Just as those of us in the minority warned during the protracted debate before the Bush tax-cut package was passed and signed into law, the surplus has evaporated.  And now some tough and uncomfortable choices have to be made. 

            In order for President Bush to make good on his promised increases in the defense and education budgets, he will have to raid the Social Security Trust Fund.  That would break another promise that he made to the American people.  Even without any new spending above what the President has already requested, we will have to dip into the trust fund surpluses from now until 2004.  In fact, the Bush budget dips into the 2001 Medicare surplus as well.  And if the economy continues to decline, his plan will continue to spend the entire Medicare surplus and some of the Social Security surplus for years to come. 

            President Bush’s “don’t worry, be happy” attitude is a throw back to the Reagan and the elder Bush administrations when rosy economic assumptions were used to make unrealistic budget projections.  Unfortunately, reality did not live up to their lofty expectations and as a result the nation ended up in a recession and the deficit mushroomed.   It took eight years of hard work and tough budget negotiations to turn the tide, but the results are undeniable.

            Now we sit on the brink of making decisions that will affect our nation’s economic health far into the future.  We must not be lulled with gimmicks like the recent tax refund that provides you with a short-term financial boost but in the end undermines your future Social Security income or Medicare coverage.  Or, the consequences may be even more immediate like the failure to supply adequate education funding to our nation’s public schools today.  These are some tough choices. 

I have the honor of sitting on the House Appropriations Committee, and will be on the frontline of the budget battles as each funding bill makes its way through our chamber.  My main objective as we enter into this crucial time, is to stay focused on the needs of the Sixth Congressional District.  I will be vigilant in protecting your family’s future.  And, keep in mind it affects the future of my family too.

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