These questions are culled from phone calls, letters, faxes and e-mails sent to Rep. Gallegly's Camarillo, Solvang, and Washington offices. Each week Rep. Gallegly adds another question and answer. Please add your comments.
July 29, 2011
Question: What is included in Speaker Boehner’s Budget Control Act of 2011?
Answer: The Budget Control Act of 2011 would create and enforce discretionary spending caps to cut and restrain spending over the next 10 years. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the bill would reduce total spending by $917 billion between FY 2012 and FY 2021 and cut a total of $22 billion in spending in FY 2012.
In addition, the bill has a two-step process for raising the debt limit. It would provide for an initial $900 billion increase in the debt limit, and then a $1.6 trillion increase in the debt limit. However, before the President can receive the second installment of increased debt authority, a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction must identify $1.8 trillion in deficit reduction and a Balanced Budget Amendment must be adopted by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. The bill would also provide mandatory savings and address the Pell Grant shortfall. Finally, none of the spending cuts included within this bill reduce any benefits or make any changes to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
For more information on my economic positions, please see my Key Topics: Economy page.
For previous Questions of the Week chronologically and by topic, please see my Questions of the Week page.
It is shameful and embarrassing to watch the current situation in Washington DC. All members of all parties should be ashamed. This is not about you, it is about all of us. Get this current crisis resolved. That is your job and we all expect you to do it or be removed from office. You need to get in touch with how your partisan bickering impacts the people you serve. Find a way to come together, please.
Please do not allow the Deficit Reduction to be kicked down the road until 20013. We need the reductions now. We need our debt to be paid off and a balance budget acted on NOW. The debt ceiling keeps being raised and China keeps owning more and more of our country. We are doing such a disservice to our kids and their kids. WE are digging such a hole soon we will be in China. Why are the American people allowing this to happen. The President and Senate got the Health Care Bill through without being read and we are stuck with a Bill that is going to increase our Healthcare costs. Don't let it happen again. Thank you for your hard work.
The 10 year savings numbers can be deceiving by backloading savings to the latter years. We really ought to focues on the next year savings that reoccur to the following years.
Entitlements are over 50% of spending but where not addressed. If payments cannot be reduces, the age to qualify for access may need to be increased. Given life expectancy has been increasing, this may be the logical choice.
Additional revenue enhancements should come from reducing regulations that inhibit business activity. Reducing the regulation on energy development should increase domestic energy production. This would increase tax revenues, provide jobs, and reduce the trade deficit. A jobs bill in the form of relaxed regulations ought to be a priority.