Smart people disagree on the best course of action. Some argue that if Congress does not raise the limit, the United States may not be able to pay off the bills it owes, including interest on the national debt, and that has potentially serious consequences for our markets here and abroad. Others say, however, that if we simply raise the debt ceiling without reforming spending, we’ll soon face the economic ruin Greece, Ireland and other European countries are currently confronting.

Here’s my take. I have consistently said that if the President is willing to cut up the credit card, I’m willing to pay the bill. But I cannot agree to a debt limit increase without serious, fundamental reforms to the way Washington spends your money.

I decided to run for Congress because I was concerned about the direction our nation was headed. I’m worried about the kind of country our children will inherit if we don’t act responsibly now.

We are spending money at an unsustainable clip and borrowing most of it from China. Meanwhile, politicians are making promises they cannot keep and our debt continues to pile up. The result is our economy is sick with uncertainty right now and that has led to rampant unemployment. Only 64.1 percent of our population is employed, the lowest since 1984.  The national unemployment rate is 9.2%, which is bad enough, but when you add in Americans who are forced to work part-time jobs because they cannot find full-time jobs, that number shoots to 18.6%. Clearly, just raising the debt ceiling won’t get our economy growing again. We must finally reform the way our country spends your money so more Americans can get paychecks instead of unemployment checks. 

Job creation is my highest priority here in Congress. That’s why I won’t agree to a debt ceiling increase that attempts to solve our economic problems on the backs of our entrepreneurs and small business owners – the very people we need to put people back to work. We don’t help job seekers by punishing our job creators.  In my view, the only way Congress should go along with a debt limit increase is if the final deal fundamentally reforms government and includes real spending cuts now, not empty promises to cut spending in the future or accounting gimmicks.

I also believe the final deal should not include massive tax hikes. Even President Obama agrees that “you don’t raise taxes in a recession.” So the last thing we should be considering during this fragile economic recovery is higher taxes. Currently, we have the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world. We ought to be taking steps to make America more attractive and competitive in the global market by encouraging our businesses to expand, invest and hire new workers right here in the U.S. That means reforming the tax code, getting rid of special interest loopholes, cutting down the red-tape and regulation, and pursuing aggressive spending reforms.  These things aren’t easy, but it’s about time Congress is honest with the American people.

You didn’t send me to Washington to continue the status quo. You sent me to Washington to fight for real change that will turn this economy around and leave a better America for the next generation. This debt ceiling debate is a great opportunity to fundamentally reform the way Washington spends your money and that’s good for both taxpayers and unemployed Americans.

Over the past two years, President Obama and congressional Democrats produced the largest budget deficits in the history of our country. Basically, they have maxed out our nation’s credit card: We have a $14 trillion debt and $53 trillion in unfunded liabilities.  Yet after all this borrowing and spending, the economy still hasn’t turned around. Unemployment is still too high and the credit rating agency Standard and Poor’s (S&P) changed the United States’ outlook from stable to negative due to the unsustainable deficits and debt. If the past two years have proven anything, it’s that we cannot borrow and spend our way to prosperity.

President Obama and his party want a blank check for more out-of-control spending. Today, they heard a resounding ‘NO’ from the American People, who are calling for Washington to get serious about our country’s debt. Just like an addict needs rehab, Washington needs reform. Before any increase in its debt limit, the federal government needs to fundamentally reform the way it spends the People’s money. That’s what I’m fighting for, because we’re not going to have real economic growth and sustainable jobs until our country stops spending money it does not have on programs that do not work.

This statement is also available here: http://tinyurl.com/3twq8tf

This week, the House voted in a bipartisan manner to pass H.R. 1231, the “Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act,” that will open up energy-rich regions of America to sensible and environmentally sound exploration.  Crucial to this legislation was the inclusion of significant environmental safeguards to prevent and contain accidents such as the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in April of 2010.  The House has acted swiftly and responsibly, now it’s time for the Senate and the President to step up to the plate and pass this common sense bill.

Over the last two years the Obama Administration has actually made accessing American energy more difficult. They’ve increased the regulatory power of the EPA, delayed drilling permits, halted offshore oil and natural gas exploration, and even pulled the plug on renewable energy projects on public lands.

Ironically, on a recent trip to Brazil, President Obama encouraged Brazilians to drill for oil, declaring, “We want to be one of your best customers!” He even announced plans to lend their state-owned oil company $2 billion to drill for oil off Brazil’s shore.   Why is offshore drilling good for Brazil, but not America, especially when we so desperately need jobs? This “Obama premium” is costing us, and we cannot afford it.

Americans want politicians to get serious about our national energy policy.  To do that, our nation’s energy plan must include, not ignore, the energy resources we have right here in America.

I came to D.C. on a promise to focus on jobs and the economy.  By putting domestic energy production back on the table, we can do both - lower prices at the pump and put more Americans back to work.

This column is available on Congressman Duffy's official website: http://duffy.house.gov/columns/obama-premium

Americans stand at a critical crossroads: will we act now and make the tough choices to avert irreversible damage to our economy? Or will we do nothing, continue spending, accumulating unsustainable deficits and become the first generation in American history to leave a less competitive, less prosperous and weaker America to our children and grandchildren?

This is the challenge of our generation.

Last year, Congress failed to pass or even propose a budget for Fiscal Year 2011 because they didn't want to face voters in an election year with their bloated budget on record.  Nonetheless, the voters spoke loud and clear and swept into office a new House majority that has changed the conversation from how much to spend, to how much to cut and save. This past week I voted for a continuing resolution that effectively cleaned up the mess left by the last Congress.  Though it is an imperfect bill, it was the largest spending cut since World War II, and more importantly, it set the stage for a much bigger battle - the FY2012 budget, where trillions rather than billions are at stake. Indeed, the House Budget Committee’s "Path to Prosperity" would cut $6.2 trillion in government spending over ten years and actually puts the federal budget on the path to balance and pays off the debt.

Sadly, ever since the introduction of the Budget Committee’s FY2012 budget resolution, opponents have resorted to the oldest trick in the “political” book: scaring seniors.  The fact is, this plan does not affect today's seniors, or anyone on the verge of retirement (55 years or older).  What this plan does do is reform the program for my generation and younger. In fact, inaction is the surest and quickest end to Medicare.  Without reforms, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) predicts that Medicare will go bankrupt in just nine years. The House Republican budget actually saves Medicare for current seniors by reforming it for future generations.

Another important component of this budget is its call to keep taxes low so that the economy can grow. It proposes a flatter, fairer tax code that eliminates loopholes and lowers the top rate. We are competing – not against Michigan or Missouri – but against China, Canada and Korea. With this global competition, we need to make America more competitive and encourage investment here, not abroad. The real winners of a competitive business environment are our families and communities.  We can't tax our way out of our financial problems, but we can grow our way out by putting more Americans to work in sustainable, good-paying jobs.

Now, more than ever, we need leaders who care more about the next generation than the next election.  I promised to bring Wisconsin common sense to Washington and to be accessible to you, the people I work for.  In the coming months, I will continue to travel throughout our district holding town halls, "Coffees with your Congressman", and even telephone town halls for those who prefer to join the conversation by phone.  I am honored to serve as your representative in Congress and hearing from you is an important part of this job.

These are serious times and we need to come together to have honest, fact-based conversations about our nation's fiscal problems and the competing plans to solve this crisis. I look forward to seeing and hearing from you so that together, we can turn 2011 into the year that America makes a comeback.

On my official website here: http://tinyurl.com/3tcsne5

Video clips from my speeches during the budget debate are here: http://tinyurl.com/6eb2sg5

This is also on my official website: http://tinyurl.com/65wpub5

On my official website:  http://bit.ly/gD4blv

If Washington cannot fulfill even its most basic responsibility of budgeting, and the Senate's irresponsible behavior leads to a government shutdown, our troops will not be paid.  If that happens, I will donate the salary I would have received during a government shutdown to a Wisconsin charity dedicated to supporting our military.

I am committed to working with my colleagues in the House to pass a responsible budget that accomplishes what we were sent to Washington to do: put an end to government's fiscal recklessness so we don't pass on a weaker less prosperous America to our kids.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is not a sacred cow and everyone needs to do more with less, including public broadcasting.  Moreover, the recent surfacing of a video of NPR executives engaging in offensive conversations with questionable "donors" tarnishes its brand of reporting and has not helped its cause as taxpayers and their representatives consider cuts in funding for CPB.

However, in the 7th District, public radio plays a vital role in our rural communities, especially for the elderly who aren't likely to use the internet as an alternative source for local and international news and information.  Rural-based stations such as those in our district receive roughly 50% of their funding from the federal government and therefore will be disproportionately impacted by loss of federal funds. By zeroing out federal funds in one fell swoop, it will be nearly impossible for these stations to find new sources of funding in time to stave off station closings. A bill that would have phased out funding over time would have been more reasonable, especially for rural districts like ours.

Another reason for my vote is that during my campaign, I advocated for having bills posted online for 72 hours.  This bill was rushed to the floor, having been introduced only two days earlier and it was not posted online for the 72 hour period.  These are precisely the kind of actions so many of us decried under the 111th Congress.  I believe in transparency and citizen oversight, no matter the issue or Party. 

Thank you to all of you who expressed your thoughts and feelings on this issue.  It's important for me to hear from you and I will continue to do my best to represent you and our district in Washington.

Sean

“We cannot grow the economy by growing the size of government. This budget is simply more of the same: more borrowing, more spending, and more taxes. What we need are pro-growth policies that will empower the private sector to innovate and invest and get our families back to work. We need real political leadership that will restrain the size and scope of government and enact policies that will put us back on the road to prosperity.”