McCarthy: GOP House budget will deal with long-term issues involving Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security

 Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), files his weekly report from Capitol Hill. In his words:

"There’s been a lot of news this week. It’s been 41 days since House Republicans passed a bill to significantly cut spending and fund government through the end of this fiscal year. So far, the Senate hasn’t stepped up with a plan to cut federal spending. Regardless of their failure, Republicans are continuing to fight for necessary spending cuts.

  "In addition to our efforts to cut discretionary spending, my colleagues and I are preparing to propose a budget that will set our nation on a new course. The federal government currently spends approximately $3.5 trillion every fiscal year, but borrows forty cents for every dollar spent. This is unsustainable. The negative impact our debt has on job growth and investment will only be increased without immediate action. That’s why we will be taking on the biggest drivers of our debt, including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, to help preserve them for current and future generations.
 Currently, these programs consume a huge portion of our budget, and without action to save them, they will eventually consume every tax dollar received by the federal government, while adding trillions to our debt. The Republican budget will present a responsible plan to protect these programs, while putting our country on a path to prosperity.

  "Since Republicans took control of the House, we’ve set a record pace for cutting spending and red tape standing in the way of job growth. On Tuesday, the House voted to end an ineffective government-run
program, saving nearly $30 billion that would have been spent in TARP funds. Your hard-earned taxpayer dollars should not be wasted on ineffective programs, and you can guarantee I’ll continue fighting to put an end to this wasteful spending.

  "The House also took action on an issue that hits close to home for many in our community. Thursday, we passed the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act of 2011, the first step in preventing duplicative and
burdensome EPA regulations from being implemented. If these regulations were allowed to go into effect, farmers, ranchers and all responsible pesticide users in Kern County would be saddled with costly new and duplicative permitting requirements, resulting in job losses in our community. The bill now goes to the Senate, and I will push for them to quickly pass it.

  "Wednesday, Governor Jerry Brown proclaimed an end to California’s drought, but that doesn’t change much for our famers and ranchers who are suffering because of this man-made water crisis. In spite of this
proclamation, it’s projected our farmers and ranchers won’t receive all the water they are entitled. This is unacceptable and due in large part to federal and state restrictions on delta water. This man-made water crisis must be addressed without delay so we can get people back to work. I will continue to work with our farmers, ranchers and local communities to fight for a long-term solution to California’s water
crisis.

  "We still have much work to do, and I’ll be fighting for our community every step of the way.