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Editor's note: The following is an opinion piece from one of Utah's congressional representatives. This article is intended to provide our readers with a better understanding of the positions and decisions of this state representative. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of ksl.com, its management or ownership.SALT LAKE CITY — On March 1, the across-the-board spending cuts, referred to as President Obama's sequester will officially go into effect. Budgets in every government program from national defense to education will be significantly reduced unless the sequester is replaced with common-sense spending cuts.
It's no secret — Washington has a spending problem. Unfortunately, some of our nation's leaders don't understand that we can't spend more than we take in. Since President Obama took office the federal deficit has been more than $1 trillion a year. For nearly four years, the Democratic controlled Senate has failed to pass a budget, and under President Obama, our nation's debt is now over $16 trillion.
Sequestration came about as part of the 2011 debt deal, when the President and his team put forth a plan to impose $1.2 trillion in arbitrary, across-the-board spending cuts. Although he was the one that proposed the plan, President Obama admitted during his State of the Union Speech that "Democrats, Republicans, business leaders, and economists have already said that these cuts, known here in Washington as 'the sequester,' are a really bad idea".
We need to cut spending, but there is a better way to do so than through the proposed sequestration. We need to replace it with responsible cuts and substantive reforms.
We need to cut spending, but there is a better way to do so than through the proposed sequestration. We need to replace it with responsible cuts and substantive reforms. In fact, the House has already acted to do this twice, proposing to eliminate some of the cuts to the Department of Defense and replace them with cuts in wasteful spending and streamlining government programs.
Did you know that the government funds a free cell phone program that will cost an estimated $2.2 billion in 2013 alone? Did you know that the government estimates it made $115 billion in improper payments in 2011? These are just a few of the examples of wasteful spending that could be cut in place of the President's sequestration.
I am genuinely concerned about sequestration's impact on national defense. But I am even more concerned about what will happen to national defense if we don't rein in the President's spending on entitlements. In the past 50 years, entitlement spending has grown from 30 percent of the total federal budget to more than 60 percent. At the same time, defense spending — and remember, national defense is one of the only Constitutionally mandated functions of the federal government — has decreased from 49 percent to 18 percent of the total national budget. That is astounding. Because those trends are projected to continue, within just a few years our entitlement spending will entirely eliminate our ability to fund defense and any other discretionary spending. Shame on the President for refusing to acknowledge this problem.
Related:
Utah reps. frustrated at potential $85B federal budget cuts
Utah's congressional delegation reacted strongly Wednesday to the looming sequester deadline that would trigger $85 billion in automatic cuts to the federal budget.It has become clear to me that the president is totally unwilling to address spending and entitlement reform. He continues to insist that the only way he will make any cuts is if Republicans agree to raise taxes. But we've already done that. More tax increases are not an option for me and other House Conservatives. So while allowing the sequestration to go forward is a terrible way to make cuts, the President's complete denial of the problem means it is now the only way to cut any spending.
We need to stop Washington's excessive spending, which is why just a few weeks ago, I joined a bipartisan group of freshman Members of Congress to outline a statement of bipartisan principles to address spending reforms, including Social Security, Medicare and tax reform. More than two dozen House members of both parties are active participants in this group. Congress needs to work together in groups like this to get our economy moving in the right direction.
$5.9 trillion has been added to the national debt since the President took office. 22.7 million Americans are unemployed or underemployed. This is the result of poor leadership from the White House. We need to grow the economy, expand opportunity and prosperity, and ensure that America maintains its leading role in the world with a strong national defense. To do that, we need to budget and spend responsibly. We need to replace President Obama's sequester with common-sense spending cuts and reforms. Most importantly, we need the President to demonstrate an understanding of the nation's need to balance our budget and get us on a path to fiscal sanity.
Congressman Chris Stewart represents Utah's 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, where he is currently serving his first term. He is a New York Times best-selling author, world-record-setting Air Force pilot and small business owner.
