March 9, 2010

I just finished the annual Lincoln Days swing through the district and the many meetings that accompany that swing. The Lincoln Days events are a yearly chance to see old friends, meet new ones, and reconnect with the people who make my campaigns possible. During this swing, I heard frustration from folks up and down the district. They're upset with their government, upset with too much spending, worried about the Democrats health care reform and cap-and-trade packages, and desperate for our Party to regain control of Congress and stick to the principles of lower taxes, decreased spending, and limited government that we all hold so dear. At the same time, the folks that I talked to are optimistic that our nation remains strong and that our economy will turn around if only we have the courage to take bold action. Part of that action should included a few things I have been working on in Congress. They include passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution and an end to the tax code as we know it. Further, we should sunset all federal programs and ensure that periodically all programs and agencies must come up for renewal. We should immediately take back all unused funding in the Stimulus Bill and return it to the Treasury to pay down debt and make deep cuts in this years budget as almost all American families are doing.

Perhaps most importantly for our long-term fiscal stability, we need to tackle entitlement reform and we need to have the courage to do it now. Fixing Social Security, Medicare, and other entitlement programs that are the true drivers of our budget deficit will not be easy nor will it be popular. It is impossible to fix programs with tens of trillions of dollars in unfunded liabilities without making a few people nervous or angry. But the sooner we attack this problem, the less painful the solution will be and the better chance we will have of stabiliizing the programs.

After the Lincoln Days circuit of the last few weeks, it is clear to me that the people of Idaho want their elected officials to go make the tough decisions required to get our fiscal situation back on track. They know there are tough choices ahead, but they want action taken sooner rather than later. I share their desire for immediate action and will be working in Congress to see that Republicans are offering fiscally-conservative alternative ideas to what the Democrats put forward between now and election day. That action will start with a Republican alternative to the Democrats' budget over the next few weeks. It is going to make for a lively, productive debate and clearly demonstrate the difference between the two parties on the issues of taxes and spending.

I want to thank everyone I met and spoke with during the Lincoln Days banquets for their encouragement, support, questions, ideas, and time. I am reminded each year during Lincoln Days why I love Idaho so much and why I am so proud to represent its people. It is as true honor to serve as your representative in Washington, DC.

Thank you,

Mike Simpson

February 2, 2010

I am preparing to participate in a Budget Hearing today where we will be exploring the President's fiscal year 2011 budget with White House Budget Director Peter Orszag.  Mr. Orszag was the head of the Congressional Budget Office prior to going over to the White House so I have had the opportunity to question him a few times in previous years. He is smart and thorough -- but he has a HUGE budget to defend today so it will be interesting to see how he responds to my questions and those of my fellow Republicans.  The President's budget spends roughly $3.8 TRILLION next year -- a nearly $800 BILLION increase over the Democrat passed budget of just two years ago.  On the discretionary side, the President's budget spends $1.38 TRILLION next year.  Just two years ago, the Democrat passed budget spent $1.18 TRILLION in discretionary spending.  This clearly shows that the President waited until an additional $200 BILLION had been added to the discretionary budget BEFORE calling for a discretionary freeze.  The voters in MA, VA, and NJ had a clear and consistent message for Congress and the President.  They told us to get serious about deficit reduction and spending controls.  The numbers I have shown above clearly demonstrate that the President does not understand the message voters sent.  I am willing to work with the President to truly reduce spending -- but his initial offer is not a serious attempt to stop out-of-control spending.  We need to do much better.