Issue Position: Fiscal Responsibility

Issue Position

Issue Position: Fiscal Responsibility

Poor economic planning and wasteful spending have mounted our federal debt at over $8 trillion. Our district's share of this is $22 billion. As our debt and expenditures grow, we must borrow more from other countries like China to cover our costs. This leads to the weakening of our dollar relative to other currencies and South Floridians having to pay more for goods and services.

Quick Read

* Restoring Fiscal Responsibility
* Transparency in Government

The Challenges

Irresponsible Tax Planning
The Bush administration's failed economic policies of cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans - while dramatically increasing government spending - have derailed our country's economy and increased the cost of living for our community. It is estimated that these tax cuts will have cost the United States over $2.3 trillion by the time they expire in 2009.

Wasteful Washington Spending

Washington spending is out of control. As a result, our national debt has increased over 50% in the last 8 years from $5.7 to $8.8 trillion.

Joe's Plan

Restoring Fiscal Responsibility

Reverse Bush Tax Cuts for the Wealthiest 1%
Joe fully supports tax cuts for middle-class and poor families. However, the bulk of the Bush tax cuts went to the wealthiest 1% and were ill-timed and irresponsible.

Pay-as-you-go (PAYGO)
Joe believes that a vital first-step toward bringing a common-sense approach to spending in Washington is by enforcing pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budgeting rules which require increased spending or tax changes to be paid for by cuts to other programs or the creation of new revenue.

Reduce Pork Barrel Spending
Joe fully supports legislation that requires the complete disclosure and transparency of special interest earmarks. Spending that cannot withstand the scrutiny of our community is probably unnecessary and should be slashed from budget requests.

End Wasteful Government Spending
Joe will work with his colleagues in the Congress to put an end to obsolete federal government programs that make no financial sense. Joe believes that the residents of South Florida should not be subsidizing the oil and gas companies that are enjoying record profits at our expense.

Making Government Efficient and Accountable
Joe believes that tax-payer funded programs should be held accountable for their performance. It makes no sense to fund inefficient federal programs that cannot be fixed at our district's expense. Accordingly, Joe supports career advancement incentives for effective management.

Transparency in Government

Google Congress
Joe fully commits himself to publicizing all of his congressional budget requests directly on his website. You should always be able to see what your Congressman does with your hard-earned dollars without having to spend hours searching online.

Full Disclosure
Joe supports full disclosure of government contracts. Moreover, Joe commits himself to publicizing on his website all government contracts facilitated by his office.

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