Issue Position: Budget and Spending

Issue Position

Federal spending in (FY) 2011 broke all records reaching $3.6 trillion and now consumes nearly 25 percent of total economic output. Simply put, that is unsustainable.

All that money comes from one place: the pockets of American taxpayers (or worse the pockets of future generations of taxpayers through unconscionable debt). Federal spending has been climbing steadily since Lyndon Johnson declared war on poverty.

There is no reason to think that a majority of members in the current Congress have the will -- or even the desire -- to change the budget trajectory.

For generations, politicians in Washington have seduced more and more Americans into becoming dependent on handouts and government programs. In turn, these politicians have used the growing ranks of poor, unemployed, and program-dependent citizens as an excuse to expand spending even more.

According to the Heritage Foundation, headed by Jim DeMint:

"The three major entitlement programs--Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security--account for 43 percent of federal spending, or 10.3 percent of GDP. In the coming decade, each of these three programs will expand much faster than inflation and more rapidly than the entire economy: Social Security will grow by an estimated 5.8 percent per year, Medicare by 6.3 percent, and Medicaid by 9 percent. They will surge from 10.3 percent of the economy to almost 20 percent in just 40 years. To honor in full the promised benefits for just Social Security and Medicare, the government would need to set aside and invest almost $46 trillion of Americans' tax dollars today to cover the long-term shortfall."

All parts of the Federal budget are growing! In the last 12 years, spending has grown across the board. Discretionary spending has far outpaced inflation while other areas have received large budget increases as well.

That's why we need a change immediately.

Lee Bright will fight to STOP the Washington spending machine and reduce the size, scope and reach of government.

As a State Senator, Lee has the best voting record in the entire state legislature for limited government and reduced spending. The South Carolina Club for Growth has consistently rated his record at 100% as have other conservative organizations.

Lee has been a tireless opponent of new and unnecessary spending: he has voted against larger state budgets, consistently sustained vetoes by Governors Sanford and Haley, and has been willing to bring legislative business to a halt in order to shine the spotlight on excessive spending.

But there's more to this issue than just voting against spending. Lee is also pushing for reforming the budget process. He wants Congress to estimate and publish the projected cost of any proposed policy or program for the lifetime of the program or, if it is open-ended, for at least 75 years out. Any major policy change should also be scored over this long-term horizon. The Congressional Budget Office should also be required to score new programs both with and without predicted or expected impacts on the economy. This way Congress will have necessary information available when weighing the value and the economic impact of a spending program.

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