Email from Texas Senator John Cornyn
Dear Mr. Masters:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the federal budget and efforts to reduce the size of government. I appreciate your comments and share your frustration with Washington’s inability to restrain spending.
As you may know, following its adoption by the House of Representatives on April 30, 2015, the Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Resolution (S.Con.Res. 11) by a 51-48 vote on May 5, 2015. This budget provides the necessary framework to curtail spending by $5.2 trillion over 10 years, does not call for higher taxes and also balances the federal budget. It instills fiscal discipline in federal spending and provides Congress an opportunity to send a bill repealing Obamacare to the President’s desk. Passing a budget is one of our fundamental duties as elected public officials and I am glad that, for the first time in six years, the House of Representative and the Senate were able to agree on a budget.
Unfortunately, Senate Democrats blocked numerous attempts to consider appropriation bills and forced Congress to pass another short-term funding measure. In order to avert a government shutdown, which would have created further uncertainty and instability in the economy, the Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2016 Continuing Appropriations bill (H.R. 719) that funds the discretionary operations of the federal government through December 11, 2015. H.R. 719 passed the House of Representatives and was signed into law by President Obama on September 30, 2015. I am dedicated to returning the Senate to regular order and will continue to support consideration of appropriation bills before the current funding authority expires.
Like you, I am worried about how excessive government spending and regulations dampen job creation, and I am determined to implement the spending cuts and structural entitlement reforms needed to secure the long-term fiscal integrity of our country. With record deficits and more than $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities hanging over us, our toughest fiscal decisions cannot be postponed any longer. Our national debt exceeds $18 trillion—making it larger than our entire economy—and it has increased by more than 70 percent since the beginning of the Obama Administration. In 2014, the federal government spent more than $28,800 per household and borrowed almost 14 cents of every dollar we spent. Every dollar borrowed today means higher taxes tomorrow. At a time when Texans are tightening their belts, Congress must reign in Washington’s runaway spending.
I recognize the importance of funding programs that support our national defense, protect our borders, and care for our veterans. But if we do not reduce spending and reform Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security we will strangle economic growth, destroy jobs, and reduce our standard of living.
To remedy our government’s spending problems, I support adding a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution. I am a cosponsor of Senate Joint Resolution 6 (S.J. Res. 6) that would require the federal government to balance its budget each year. In addition, S.J. Res. 6 would require a supermajority vote to increase taxes and the debt limit. Last Congress, I also cosponsored the Dollar-for-Dollar Deficit Reduction Act (S. 43), which would have required any debt limit increase to include an equal amount of spending cuts. Families across Texas have to balance their budgets and make tough choices to live within their means. There is no reason Washington should operate any differently. The American people want fiscal discipline, and the Balanced Budget Amendment and the Dollar-for-Dollar Deficit Reduction Act would deliver it. You may be certain that I will keep hardworking taxpayers in mind as I fight to curb excessive government spending in the 114th Congress.
I am honored to represent Texas in the United States Senate. Thank you for taking the time to contact me.
Sincerely,
JOHN CORNYN
United States Senator
517 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2934
Fax: (202) 228-2856
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