Ehrlich on Washington column, May 31, 1998

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 3 1 5 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of May 3 1 , 1 998 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. HOUSE BUDGET PRESERVES PRIORITIES, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY When President Clinton unveiled his proposed budget earlier this year, he rejected the fiscal restraint represented by the 1997 balanced budget accord in favor of a fresh round of costly big government programs. When he proposed creating 85 new spending initiatives, including 39 entitlements, and using hypothetical funding sources (such as the proposed tobacco settlement which has since collapsed) to pay for it, few people were fooled. My constituents saw the President’s budgetary gimmicks, new user fees, and tax increases for what they were-an attempt to return to the budget-busting, status quo politics of the past. This week, the House will vote on the budget crafted by my colleagues and I on the House Budget Committee. Unlike the President’s budget, our reasonable alternative embraces and expands upon the principles espoused by last year’s balanced budget agreement. In other words, we are continuing to seek a leaner, more efficient federal government which preserves essential services while achieving the following priorities: • Paying down the federal debt; • Preserving and protecting Social Security; • Shrinking the growth of the federal government; and • Returning to families and individuals greater economic freedom through tax relief. For the first time since 1 969, our federal budget is in balance. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates a 1998 federal surplus between $43 billion and $63 billion. Our