Allen West

Mr. WEST

Mr. WEST. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would say this. I do believe that we must take a first step when we talk about deficit reduction. I think that this is one of the important things. As I said in my statement, if each and every one of us in this House, all 435, made the effort to find these instances of fraud, waste and abuse, then we could have more significant cuts into our deficit and, of course, into our debt. And I think at a critical time when, the gentlewoman from Guam just stated, maybe perhaps also following along with this, we do need to look at the amount of requests for reports that we are having. But still, as we are talking about efficiency in the Department of Defense, this is a first step toward that efficiency occurring. And I think that anyone that would not be willing to support this says that they are not willing to take that first step toward getting the Department of Defense and all our departments and all of our agencies to be more effective and more efficient. But as well, that does start with us here in the Members of the House of Representatives. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WEST. Mr. Speaker, at this time I have no further requests, and also apologies to you, Madam. I am prepared to close after my colleague has yielded back her time. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WEST

Mr. WEST. Madam Speaker, I rise today to take a stand, a stand that may not be popular with the Leadership of the House of Representatives, but a stand I must take because I believe we cannot kick the can down the road for even another 3 weeks. The American people recognize that we must no longer take these small calculated measures. Today I will vote against another short-term Continuing Resolution. In the shortest month of the year, February, the Federal Government had the largest deficit of $223 billion in our nation's entire history. The American people know that we are in a fiscal crisis and have sent me to address out-of-control spending. The majority in the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1 which reduced spending by $61 billion for the remainder of this fiscal year. Even though H.R. 1 only cut spending by approximately 1.5 percent of the entire requested budget for fiscal year 2011, H.R. 1 reversed the trend of the Democrat Majority which increased overall discretionary funding by 24% over the last 2 years. The United States Senate rejected this amount as too much. They believe that, after President Barack Obama and the Democrat Congress presented trillion dollar deficit budgets, a freeze is the only viable approach. I am not a supporter of big government. However, the Federal Government does perform certain important functions. Many essential Federal agencies cannot move forward with planning and using resources if every several weeks they are faced with the threat that they will need to close their doors until we resolve this impasse. Could any business in America function this way? Can a family household function this way? Madam Speaker, President Obama and the United States Congresses of the past have created the Nanny States of America. Vast segments of the American people are now dependent on our Federal Government and not dependent on their own ability, skills and entrepreneurial spirit to succeed in this Nation. We are in this position today because the Democrats in the last Congress failed to pass a budget. Further, the President appoints Vice President Biden as the Administration point person on the negotiations while he flies off to Europe. The Democrats failed to show leadership last year and the President is showing a lack of leadership today. I will show what I consider appropriate leadership now and vote against this Continuing Resolution. Madam Speaker, the American people are watching us closely. Today, with information so readily available on the Internet they know the truth of our desperate economic situation. The days of Washington, D.C. double-talk no longer works. The American people know that the Federal Government is collecting $2.2 trillion and spending $3.7 trillion this year. The American people know forty cents of every dollar the Federal Government spends is borrowed, much of it from China. The American people also know our nation is piling up new debt at the rate of $4 billion a day. So, what does $6 billion of spending cuts really buy the American people? Further, the General Accountability Office released a 345-page report detailing the redundancies of Federal programs and the $100 to $200 billion of savings that could be achieved if these programs were consolidated or eliminated. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to argue that these cuts in spending will weaken an already slow economy and contribute to an increase in the loss of jobs. I believe this is a disingenuous argument. The truth is, the spending over the last 2 years has not reduced the loss of jobs, but instead has contributed to the largest debt in American history which will be passed on to my children and my grandchildren. In Wisconsin, we have seen what the unionized entitlement class can do and the pressure they can place on their elected officials. Wisconsin State Legislators running to a neighboring state to hide from making a hard vote and protestors storming the Wisconsin State Capitol are not in concert with the principles of a representative democracy. Madam Speaker, Madison, Wisconsin is only 700 miles from the United States Capitol. The Founders of our nation wrote in the Declaration of Independence ``We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'' The ``Pursuit'' of Happiness, not the Federal Government's ``Guarantee'' of Happiness! Finally, Madam Speaker, we can continue to rehash the past of how we have gotten into this situation, but I would rather focus on the future. The future is now and the place is here for us to get our Nation back on track. I support the cuts in the Continuing Resolution. I support the elimination of these projects. However, my ``No'' vote should not be construed as my willingness for a ``government shutdown.'' My ``No'' vote is based on a simple principle that we need to complete the Federal budget for 2011. It is time to have this debate on Federal spending and get our nation back on track by cutting spending for the long term economic restoration of our Republic. Alexander the Great once stated, ``Fortune favors the bold.'' The American people are looking for principled and bold leadership. I understand ``political maneuvering'' but the time has come to engage in the battle for the fiscal responsible future of America. I take my position on the frontlines.

Mr. WEST

Mr. WEST. Madam Speaker, let us remember that even during the State of the Union Address, the President gave his support to repeal this onerous, burdensome, and misguided mandate.

Mr. WEST. Madam Speaker, I stand here to support H.R. 4 for the repeal of the 1099 bill. At a time when business owners are trying to survive in a sea of economic turmoil, our government has thrown them an anchor instead of a life preserver. Democrats have borrowed and spent $1 trillion of their stimulus program, and the unemployment rate has remained stuck at or above 9 percent for nearly 2 years. Our focus must be on measures that will actually help American workers and allow employers to focus on job creation. H.R. 4 will protect small businesses, their workers, and American taxpayers. H.R. 4 repeals the onerous tax reporting provisions Democrats enacted last year to help pay for both their health care law and the TARP 3 legislation. It also protects taxpayers by reducing waste, fraud and abuse in the Democrats' health care law. Finally, this bill will reduce the deficit by $166 million in the first 10 years and by billions of dollars over the long run, while reducing Federal spending by nearly $20 billion over the next 10 years. During a time when the unemployment rate is at or above 9 percent, additional government mandates on small businesses is, from the standpoint of economic policy, nothing short of idiotic. We should be looking for ways to free small businesses and companies from unnecessary burdens. We should be looking for ways to encourage entrepreneurship. Instead, we have mandates that impose new obstacles for companies. We should be seeking ways to restart the engine of job growth. Let me be clear that I accept the proposition that every person and every business entity has both a moral and legal obligation to fully report their taxable income. The fundamental problem with the new 1099 reporting requirement is that they are imposed on a broad universe of small business taxpayers that annually conduct more than $600 of transactions with other vendors. The new filing requirements are both burdensome as well as overinclusive.

Mr. WEST

Mr. WEST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman. As we are seeing unfold throughout our country and also especially my 22nd Congressional District in Florida, this health care bill has been detrimental to the survival and growth of our small businesses. Employers are choosing to drop health care for their employees, which will flood this government-run health care system, eventually leading to a lower quality of health care. According to the Small Business Administration, the smallest firms spend 36 percent more per employee than larger firms to comply with Federal regulations. It comes out to about $10,585 per employee for all Federal regulations. The multitude of rules, restrictions and mandates imposes a heavy burden on Americans and the U.S. economy and could destroy an untold number of jobs. The Obama administration promulgated 59 major regulations in 2009, 62 in 2010, another 191 regulations are in the works, and the Dodd-Frank permanent bailout bill alone requires no fewer than 243 new rules by 11 agencies over a dozen years. The SBA also estimates the total cost for all Federal regulations is roughly $1.75 trillion each year. All of the Federal red tape is a tax and regulatory straightjacket that is crippling our economic recovery.

Mr. WEST

Mr. WEST. ``And to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.''