Fleming Amendment Goes After Waste in Federal Budget

Statement

Congressman John Fleming, M.D. (LA-4) released the following statement after the PLAN Act passed in the House of Representatives with his amendment, which was approved by the House, without objection, earlier today:

"Washington Democrats may run the White House and the Senate, but they have utterly failed to lead in terms of our nation's fiscal policy. While the Senate does not bother even preparing a budget, the budgets offered by President Obama are so misguided that his own party has rejected them. At a time when our national debt has skyrocketed to $16.4 trillion, we must have real leadership when it comes to how the federal government spends the tax dollars it collects from hard-working Americans.

"Today I voted for the PLAN Act, a measure that calls on President Obama to submit a balanced budget. The PLAN Act includes an amendment I offered which demands that the president get serious about the need to consolidate all of the duplication in federal programs.

"My amendment is a down payment on legislation I'll be reintroducing in the coming weeks. The REDUCE Government Act ("Realign and Eliminate Duplicative Unnecessary Costly Excess in Government Act") is vital legislation that will speed up the process of making Congress put an end to duplicative, ineffective, and wasteful programs. Passing such a bill will be difficult in the current tax-and-spend environment in Washington, but it's what we must do if we're ever going to stop heaping an endless burden of debt on our kids and grandkids."

Congressman Fleming's testimony in support of his amendment on the House floor can be seen here.

Dr. John Fleming is Chairman of the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, Oceans and Insular Affairs and is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He is a physician and small business owner and represents the 4th Congressional District of Louisiana.

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