WASHINGTON, D.C. — As I travel all 25 counties of my Eastern Oklahoma district there is not a single person I’ve met who isn’t worried about the amount of money that is being spent in Washington.  It is certainly a concern that crosses all demographics and geographic boundaries in the state of Oklahoma.

If we continue down this path of excessive government spending, not only will future generations be left with the burden of paying for today’s policies, but an increasing amount of our federal budget will be eaten up by debt payments to foreign nations like China.

According to the nonpartisan Peterson-Pew Commission on Budget Reform, publicly held debt reached $7.6 trillion in 2009 and will double over the next 10 years if Congress continues to ignore our mounting deficits. At that critical point, interest on the debt will comprise such a large share of the federal budget that we will no longer be able to invest in priorities such as education, health care and national security.

But talking about fiscal responsibility is easy. It’s time to take legislative action. Lawmakers owe it to our children and grandchildren to enact a clear and concise plan now that will reduce the federal deficit, balance the budget, and lay the groundwork for common-sense fiscal policies over the long term.  That is why I support two key legislative policies that will force Congress to reign-in the excessive growth of government.

First, I am a strong supporter of H.J.Res.78, the balanced budget amendment.  H.J.Res.78 calls for a Constitutional amendment that would require Congress to balance the federal budget each year. It would force Congress to spend only what it takes in and not a single penny more.

Currently forty-nine of our fifty states are required to balance their budgets every year (California is the only one that does not and they are broke).  When I was a state legislator, I remember the long days and nights that went along with balancing Oklahoma’s budget. During the lean years at the beginning of this decade, that meant making the same types of tough decisions that our state legislature faces again this year.

And during the good years, that meant putting some of the excess revenue aside in savings to prepare for the down times. These are same type of decisions that Oklahoma families make every month. Simply put, H.J.Res.78 would hold Congress’s and the Administration’s feet to the fire.

Second, I support granting future presidents the power of the line-item veto so that they have the ability to cut excessive pork barrel projects that lack merit and waste precious tax dollars. More than a majority of the governors in the United States possess this power, and it is a crucial tool in curtailing special interest spending and pork barrel projects from filling budgets and increasing government’s debt.

The idea behind these two legislative proposals is so simple and common-sense that it’s no wonder Washington hasn’t done them already. American families make tough choices every day, so should the federal government. In this case, what is good for the goose would be good for the gander. If we can balance the budgets of 49 of our 50 states, then we can balance the federal budget in Washington, D.C.



Congressman Dan Boren was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District in 2004. He currently serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the House Natural Resources Committee.