Dear Representative:
On behalfof the 362,000 members of the National Taxpayers Union (NTU), I write in strongsupport of the “Cut, Cap, and Balance” agenda developed by Representative JimJordan (R-OH) and the Republican Study Committee (RSC). We urge all members to support their efforts and sign on to the RSC’sletter to Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
By anymeasurement, federal spending has spiked dramatically. The budget has roughlydoubled in little more than a decade. As a percentage of our economy, 2011outlays will surpass a level unseen since the era of full-scale warmobilization in the 1940s, at over 25 percent. Perhaps most disturbing,President Obama’s estimate of our overspending problem – roughly $1.6 trillionthis year – is about equal, in inflation-adjusted terms, to the entire federal budget in 1982. Putanother way, we will raise through the Tax Code and spend in real terms roughlythe federal budget of 2003 and borrow and spend an amount approximating the1982 federal budget (which was itself more than 23 percent of GDP) just forgood measure.
Solvingthis large and growing problem will take a commitment by Congress to prudentspending reductions now and reforms to our unsustainable entitlement programsmoving forward. In recognition of the long and difficult path to fiscalresponsibility that lies ahead, the RSC approach sensibly combines substantialtrimming of federal spending in the short-term, a strong statutory spending capin the medium-term, and a robust Balanced Budget Amendment to our Constitutionin the long-term in order to help return the federal government to a manageablesize and cost.
As bad asthe numbers look today, they get exponentially worse with every passing yearthat Congress fails to address our fiscal challenges. That’s why it is soimportant to ensure that any action on the debt ceiling is paired withsubstantial and durable reforms to Washington’s spending habits. The RSC andChairman Jordan have sketched out a series of bold and necessary policiesCongress must enact if we are to have any hope of staving off a painful debtcrisis.
Thecourse that the RSC has so commendably charted will not be easy, but thebusiness of responsible governance seldom is. For decades, the warning signsabout the federal government’s deteriorating financial discipline have beenclear. Representative Jordan and the RSC have heeded those signs with a measureof courage and a comprehensive, achievable action plan. We urge you to support the “Cut, Cap, and Balance” agenda and lend yourname to the RSC’s letter to Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader Cantor.
Sincerely, Andrew MoylanVice President of Government Affairs
108 North Alfred Street Ø Alexandria, Virginia 22314 Ø Phone: (703) 683-5700 Ø Fax: (703) 683-5722 Ø Web: www.ntu.org