I came back to Michigan on April 4th to begin a two-weeklong district work period. Before I left Washington, I joined my colleagues in the House in passing the FY 2010 Budget Resolution—the best one we’ve seen in more than eight years. This budget closely follows the blueprint laid out by President Obama, and thereby strategically lays the foundation for our nation’s long-term prosperity. It does this through key investments in education, clean energy and health care.
Not only does the budget get us back on track by investing in America’s future; it also returns our government to fiscal responsibility. It cuts the Bush-created national deficit nearly two thirds by 2013, and reduces non-defense discretionary spending to the lowest levels in almost fifty years as a percentage of the economy. I’d also like to note here that the budget portends to a responsible way out of the War in Iraq.
Don’t let the pundits fool you. Investing in America and returning to fiscal responsibility does not mean higher taxes for you. In fact, this budget gives middle income families a tax cut amounting to $1.5 trillion.
All in all, the budget reflects the dignity of a Commander in Chief committed to keeping his campaign promises and fixing the multitude of problems left behind by his predecessor. It reflects a majority in Congress willing to take on the difficult challenges necessary to overcome obstacles that have been holding us back as a nation for too long—namely, reforming our broken health care system to improve quality, lower costs, and expand coverage to all Americans. With this budget as our framework, you can look forward to more good news from Washington.
Stay tuned for an update on how I’ve been keeping busy during this district work period.
