America is at war and we owe all the brave men and women who serve our country tremendous gratitude.  There is no way for us to properly thank them for putting their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we have at home while defending the right of others seeking democracy.  Our nation must remain united and steadfast in the support we provide our soldiers.  I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that our men and women in uniform have the proper equipment and training to get the job done and to bring them home safely.   

As an American, I support providing our military with the necessary resources, however, as an elected official sent to Washington to represent the hard-working people of the Fourth Congressional District who pay taxes, it is my duty to make sure that our federal government manages this money responsibly.  As whip of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition, I support accountability and honesty in our nation’s budget process.  Recently, the Blue Dog Coalition discovered a little known document complete with the signature of Treasury Secretary Snow entitled the, “Financial Report of the United States of America for 2005,” which uses accrual-based accounting.   This document, which is required by law, reports the financial status of the government applying the same accounting laws businesses must use to report their financial condition to regulators.  According to this report, our deficit was not $319 billion in 2005 as reported by the Office of Management and Budget using cash-based accounting.  As reported from the Secretary of the Treasury, John Snow, the 2005 deficit using accrual-based accounting was $760 billion, a staggering difference of $441 billion.  

Last month, President Bush submitted a budget to the United States Congress that blatantly disregards funding for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan beyond Fiscal Year 2007.   Yet, there is no indication that our mission there will be completed by this time.   I am deeply troubled by the continued deficit spending and the complete disregard for fiscally responsible policies. The President's proposed $2.7 trillion budget will decrease domestic spending, yet leave a massive $355 billion budget deficit for this fiscal year.  

Our nation’s budget must strive to accurately reflect the costs of conflicts abroad and restore honestly and accountability to our nation’s budget.  Emergency supplemental funding is considered separate from the annual budget process.  Unlike last fall’s devastating hurricane season, funding for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are not sudden expenses and should be funded accordingly in the annual budget.   The Blue Dogs have a ‘12-Point Plan’ for meaningful budget reform that will provide a balanced budget and allow us to get our fiscal house in order.  This plan sets forth sensible objectives such as supporting a constitutional amendment that would require a balanced budget every year, establishes ‘paygo’ standards -- meaning any new spending must be paid for by cuts in other programs or by new revenues -- and requires justification for  spending on earmarks.   As a member of the Blue Dog coalition, I will continue to fight for honesty and accountability in our nation’s fiscal house.