Ehrlich on Washington column, September 10, 2001

MEWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 21093 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON Week of September 10, 2001 By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Pork Barretters Should Practice - Not Preach - Fiscal Discipline As working Americans begin to receive their tax rebates in the mail, I ask them to imagine where their money might have been spent if it were left in Washington. It might have been invested in federal “insect rearing” programs, or Red Snapper research. Maybe it would have been allocated to the Center for Spatial Data Research, or even the study of sunflower seeds. Indeed, these wasteful federal programs received $12 million in funding last year alone as a result of Washington’s pork barrel spending habits. This fall, Congress and President Bush must enact a fiscally-responsible budget for next year. After returning $1 .35 trillion to working Americans in the form of tax relief, Congress is a big step closer to that goal. Over Labor Day weekend, however, House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt criticized the Republican tax relief plan, saying it jeopardized his ability to fund a “proper budget.” Mr. Gephardt, who for decades followed reckless spending habits and championed unproven federal programs, contends that tax relief must be sacrificed for the sake of government growth. Remarkably, Mr. Gephardt and his supporters continue to put pork barrel projects ahead of ordinary Americans and economic growth. How can Congress adequately fund real priorities - such as education, national defense, and debt reduction - and keep spending to a minimum if Democrats and Republicans refuse to give up their wasteful pet projects? The solution is to honor the Bush Administration’s 10-year budget plan. After eight long years, President Bush has restored sorely-needed fiscal discipline to the White House. His budget increases investments in America’s most important priorities while practicing sound fiscal discipline. Specifically, the President’s budget limits federal spending to 4 percent growth, so that surpluses are spent on real priorities, and puts Social Security and Medicare ahead of many unproven federal programs.