News for the Ninth

By U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer

I always enjoy my travels throughout our district because I appreciate hearing some good old Missouri common sense from people back home concerned about the problems facing our country. The number one issue on people’s minds these days is finding ways to stop Washington’s never ending spending binge and the need for responsible budgeting.

As a freshman, I agree that both parties have in the past been careless when it comes to spending your hard-earned dollars. I am committed to fighting this trend. Weeks ago, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland indicated that the House might not consider a budget resolution this
year. It is vital for the House to submit a budget resolution that will start the budget process in this chamber, and open the door to cracking down on out-of-control spending that has the government borrowing 42 percent of the money we spend this year. If a resolution is not passed,
it would mark the first time since the passage of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 that the House would fail to craft a budget. Along with several of my colleagues, I sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi asking her to start the budget process so that we can start getting our fiscal house in order as our constituents have asked us to do.

Another issue that has gotten people’s attention is the issue of earmarks. The current process has allowed some Members of Congress to direct your hard earned tax dollars towards wasteful projects. I have never requested an earmark, because I believe the process is broken and in dire need of significant reform. This process needs more transparency so taxpayers can see upfront who is requesting earmarks and for what purpose.

Many of the calls and letters I receive each day come from people who understand that our country simply cannot borrow and spend our way back to prosperity, while heaping mountains of debt on our children and grandchildren. That is precisely why I have co-sponsored legislation to
block automatic pay raises for Members of Congress, voted against numerous increases to the nation’s debt and supported a constitutional amendment requiring the federal government to balance its budget.

There are tough choices that have to be made to rein in out-of-control spending of hard-earned taxpayer dollars by the federal government, and we have to make those choices now rather than avoid the issue for political purposes. People back home want us to act and act now because
failure to do so will continue to damage hard-working American families. My goal will always be to listen to your concerns, take those concerns with me to Washington D.C., and cast votes that represent those concerns. Together we can make this a better country for all, and give
our children a future they deserve.

As always, for those of you with Internet access, I encourage you to visit my website http://luetkemeyer.house.gov/ . For those without access to the Internet, I encourage you to call my offices in Columbia (573-886-8929), Washington, Mo. (636-239-2276), or Hannibal
(573-231-1012) with your questions and concerns. If you want even greater access to what I am working on, please visit my YouTube site http://www.youtube.com/user/BLuetkemeyer and my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/people/Blaine-Luetkemeyer/1358702716 .