John Boehner, May 19, 2006

In the last several weeks, advocates of fiscal responsibility have had three big victories on Capitol Hill. Each will go a long way towards reducing the deficit and ensuring Congress spends taxpayer dollars wisely.

First came the comprehensive lobbying and earmark reforms. Congress then passed - and the President signed into law - a tax relief package for middle-income families and small businesses. And most recently, the House approved a fiscally responsible budget for FY 2007.

The budget victory was the result of weeks of discussions between Members of Congress working to iron out their differences on spending issues. Our efforts resulted not only in a budget agreement, but a fiscally responsible one that Members could be proud to support.

In fact, the FY 07 budget holds the line on discretionary spending and maintains President Bush’s spending cap of $873 billion. To help reduce the deficit, it would save $6.8 billion in mandatory spending by highlighting common sense reforms that make federal programs more effective and efficient on behalf of American taxpayers. This is the second year in a row that we’re working to root out waste and inefficiencies in federal spending.

The budget also includes reforms to ensure Congress better budgets for emergencies through a "rainy day" fund. It provides $4.3 billion in budget authority to anticipate potential natural disasters. And it includes a $50 billion placeholder for war costs should additional supplemental funding be necessary to wage and win the War on Terror.

The tax victory was solidified last Wednesday when the President signed our tax relief package into law, preventing massive tax hikes that would cripple job creation and discourage business investment. Working families were protected from being hit with the alternative minimum tax (AMT). Fifty-seven million American families who own stocks either directly or indirectly were spared a tax increase, as were senior citizens and those who rely on dividend income. And small businesses can continue expensing up to $100,000 of investments in depreciable assets (that number would have dropped to $25,000 without the tax cut bill).

Critics of both the budget and the tax relief have predictably cried foul. They simultaneously complain the budget "cuts funding" from their favored programs while claiming extending recent tax cuts will "increase the deficit."

In reality, a fiscally-responsible budget, coupled with a growing economy fueled by tax relief, is making real progress in driving down the deficit. In fact, federal revenues increased by nearly 15 percent last year alone. By lowering the tax burden and allowing the American people to keep more of their own money, the U.S. economy was strengthened, new jobs were created, and a widening tax base has provided a boom in revenue to the federal government.

And only in Washington can holding the line on spending be labeled a "cut."

Interestingly, many of those who opposed the budget or the tax relief package were the same people who opposed comprehensive reforms aimed at reducing the number of pork-barrel projects in spending bills. Their opposition to cleaning up Congress’ most wasteful spending practices reveals their concerns about the deficit for what they are: hollow election year rhetoric.

In the weeks ahead, the House and Senate will complete an agreement on an emergency supplemental bill that will fund immediate needs in the War on Terror and Gulf Coast rebuilding efforts. The cost of the House-passed version of the supplemental actually came in below the President’s request. I have said repeatedly that the House will not accept a bill that spends one dollar more than the President has requested -- and I’m sticking to it.

Steering the ship of the federal government is an arduous process that requires patience and commitment. Big changes start with small turns, and we’re making a lot of them now. Slowly but surely, we are restoring fiscal discipline in Congress.

Congressman John Boehner is the House Majority Leader. Boehner, a Republican, represents Ohio's Eighth Congressional District, which includes Miami, Butler, Preble, Darke, and Mercer Counties.