Idaho Statesman - Idaho Politics: Labrador Criticizes Senate Inaction on Budget Impasse

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By Kevin Richert

Defending the Republican House's original plan to cut $61 billion from this year's federal budget, Rep. Raul Labrador criticized the Democratic Senate for failing to present a counteroffer.

The impasse between the two houses -- over a "continuing resolution" to fund federal programs through Sept. 30 -- has put the federal government on the brink of a shutdown.

"I do not want a government shutdown," Labrador said in a guest opinion this afternoon. "I think the Senate should show equal leadership by passing a long-term CR of their own so we at least know where they stand."

Here's the full Labrador guest opinion:

Some Senate leaders have told their colleagues to refer to me and others who work for fiscal restraint as "extremists." These senators want to refer to the only congressmen who believe that we can't tax, borrow and spend our way to prosperity as out-of-touch Americans. Has it really become "extreme" to demand that Congress live within its means? Has it become extreme to ask that we not leave our children with a broken economy and a mortgaged future? I refuse to believe that.

This year, the federal government will spend a record $3.6 trillion -- nearly $31,000 per U.S. household. The projected revenue for the country is only $2.1 trillion. Yes, that is correct. We are spending around $1.4 trillion more than what we are taking in and borrowing the rest. This is equivalent to a family with a household income of $35,000 a year spending $60,000 a year, with the extra $25,000 put on their credit cards. It would be nearly impossible for that family to pay just the interest on that debt, never touching the principal. This family would be in debt permanently.

This year the federal government will spend more than $200 billion on interest payments. Each time the federal government spends a dollar, it is borrowing more than 40 cents of each dollar. The majority of that debt is being borrowed from foreign countries.

Our increased debt leads to more and more uncertainty in our economy. That uncertainty leads employers to be hesitant to invest in innovation and hiring of more employees. Employers, large and small, need to have confidence in the markets and the U.S. dollar in order to grow their businesses and create new jobs.

There are many of us in Congress who have taken steps to reduce our overall spending in order to begin getting our debt under control. Because the last Congress failed to pass a budget for 2011, it was up to this new Congress to act. More than 40 days ago the House of Representatives, showing leadership, passed a bold continuing resolution (CR) to finance the federal government for the remainder of the fiscal year while the 2012 budget could be prepared. This continuing resolution would cut $61 billion in spending this year. If signed into law, that $61 billion in cuts would be the highest amount ever cut in one year. And it is only a drop in the ocean of the total cuts we need to make to even begin to reduce our debt.

The House had already passed a CR that met the fiscal needs of the country -- the House's original CR with $61 billion in cuts. That bill represented our first effort, and I expected the Senate to either pass it, or pass their own version and come to the table to work out the differences. The Senate refused. I do not want a government shutdown -- I think the Senate should show equal leadership by passing a long-term CR of their own so we at least know where they stand. Once we finalize the spending levels for the remainder of 2011, we can begin the hard work of setting the 2012 budget. If that is extreme, I don't want to be mainstream.

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