These questions are culled from phone calls, letters, faxes and e-mails sent to Rep. Gallegly's Thousand Oaks, Solvang, and Washington offices. Each week Rep. Gallegly adds another question and answer. Please add your comments.
Week ending February 25, 2011
Question: Will your vote to cut spending last week actually reduce the deficit?
Answer: The explosive growth of government is fueling uncertainty about our future and hampering job creation today. Unless we act, the crushing burden of debt threatens the livelihoods of our children and grandchildren and will leave them with a diminished country. That is why I supported H.R. 1, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act of 2011. This legislation would provide discretionary funding for the remainder of fiscal year 2011. It would result in the largest discretionary spending cuts in American history. It would cut $100 billion from President Obama's 2011 budget request and $61 billion from enacted 2010 spending levels. The House of Representatives approved H.R. 1 on February 19, 2011, by a vote of 235-189.
The savings from H.R. 1 are only a down payment on our long-term commitment to ensure that Washington finally stops spending money it does not have. That is the only way we can grow the economy and rescue America from the road to bankruptcy. Unfortunately, the Senate is not expected to approve H.R. 1 and is currently in negotiations with the White House and the House of Representatives on a Continuing Resolution that can be signed into law.
Let me assure you that I will closely monitor this situation and hope we can avert a government shutdown while still producing meaningful spending cuts.
For previous Questions of the Week chronologically and by topic, please see my Questions of the Week page.
61 billion out of 1.6 trillion is really not worth the math. This is a rounding error. You must get serious, the future of the country is in your hands and all you and the majority party can come up with is 61 billion, take the 100 billion plus the 61 billion and it would still be nothing 10%. Do not waste your time. This is your first cut at the fattest part of the lamb. It seems this party will probably not survive the next election cycle. If we wanted spending we would have voted for Feral Masry.