Rep. Chip Roy Issues Statement On President Trump’s Budget Proposal

WASHINGTON — On Monday, Rep. Chip Roy released a statement regarding the FY 2020 budget proposed by President Donald Trump, which will include a 9.6 percent increase from FY 2019 in funding for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The president has proposed $220.2 billion for the department.

“Today, President Donald Trump sent Congress a budget proposal that constrains spending while upholding our constitutional duty to defend the nation and our commitment to citizens relying on Social Security and Medicare. The Office of Management and Budget put in countless hours to figure out a way to put our nation on a path to balance the budget while also providing much needed funding for the military, our veterans, and border security.

I believe the president’s budget is noble, not only because it ensures our men and women in uniform have the tools and resources they need but because it makes a concerted effort to put our nation on the path towards fiscal responsibility. There are, however, a number of problems I have with it. The administration is proposing we spend more money than we take in for 15 years, bust the caps, and continue spending ourselves trillions of dollars in debt.

The White House would not have to make these tough choices if Congress would do its job. Republicans and Democrats believe that dealing with the national debt is too hard. Because of our complete and utter unwillingness to deal with reckless spending, the president is putting forth this proposal because he knows full well it is the bare minimum Congress would accept. The administration could do much better, if only Congress would do its job.

My preference would be that we stick to the spending caps 100 percent, including defense. From there, I would like to see Congress make the tough choices American families are forced to make every day. Americans choose to go without luxuries to pay for groceries, rent, and their car payment. If they borrow, they do so within their means because if they don’t they face real consequences. They cannot understand why Congress refuses to play by the same rules.

It is time that we in Washington have the conversations that Econ 101 students have in classrooms across the nation—that is, choosing between guns and butter. If members want to increase defense spending, they must find a place to offset that spending. The same goes for non-defense spending. We should restrain spending within the president’s proposed caps and work to get our nation back to fiscal responsibility.”

Much of this release comes from an op-ed Congressman Roy wrote Monday in The Federalist about President Donald Trump’s budget request: https://bit.ly/2J56fm0