Washington Has A Spending Problem

As I travel throughout Ohio’s 16^th district, I consistently hear from small businesses and families who are deeply troubled by Washington’s spending spree and its blatant disregard for our country’s fiscal sustainability. I, too, remain gravely concerned, and reining in the growing national debt is one of the very reasons I came to Washington. I believe that we have a fundamental responsibility to our children and future generations to pass on an America with greater opportunities and more freedoms, but if we do not change course now, then we will pass on an America of limited opportunities and less freedoms.

At this time, we are facing a $17 trillion debt that not only threatens our national security, but the very future of this country. In 2012, our country spent $3.5 trillion, a debt that has doubled in just five years – and under the current course, will only get worse. Baby boomers are retiring every day, health care costs are rising, and Medicare and Social Security are nearly broke. There is no question that spending is driving our debt, and 48 percent of that debt is owned by foreign entities.

Excessive spending is the result of big government policies that open the door to waste, fraud, and abuse. For example, the Administration spent $600 million to build a website for the President’s health care law that was so plagued with error messages that only 1,150 Ohioans successfully enrolled in health plans during the site’s first month live. Two months later, the site still faces many challenges. Furthermore, earlier this year, the Administration announced that it will waive the requirement in the President’s health care law that verifies the eligibility of those receiving subsidies, driving up costs further and paving the way for rampant fraud and abuse within the President’s government-run health care system. That is why my colleagues and I in the House passed a bill that would fix this glaring issue. The No Subsidies Without Verification Act will prohibit this kind of fraud by ensuring that a verification system is put into place prior to handing out subsidies. It is now awaiting a vote in the Senate.

Getting our country back on track should not be a partisan issue. It is critical that we find common ground and now is the time we must act together. I remain hopeful that the Budget Conference Committee will develop a bipartisan budget agreement that will achieve a balanced budget by reining in excessive spending, tackling the drivers of our debt, strengthening retirement security, and instituting a fairer, simpler tax code. Families must live within their budgets, and it is time that the federal government does the same so that we can ensure that our children and grandchildren have the same opportunities and inherit a stronger, more sustainable America.