As a Texas fiscal conservative, I am committed to controlling federal spending. Hard-working Texans live on a budget; so can Washington, D.C.

Sadly, President Obama and Congressional Democrats think that’s a foreign concept.  From 2008 to 2011, they increased our national debt by more than $5 trillion. During that time, our national debt reached a level greater than the size of our overall economy, and the annual deficit increased by more than 700 percent.

Fortunately, the American people voted Republican in 2010 and we brought some common sense on how to spend your tax dollars. Under a Republican-controlled House of Representatives, spending decreased for two consecutive years for the first time since the Korean War. Reductions in discretionary funding programs have produced more than $1.5 trillion in overall savings.  This puts more money in your pocket where it belongs!

Since Republicans took control of the House in 2011, we’ve cut $175 billion by eliminating needless spending. Our Fiscal Year 2016 budget proposal cuts $5.5 trillion in spending – higher than any previous proposal. Under a Republican Congress, federal spending as a share of the national economy has declined by nearly 17 percent. This is a good start but I won’t stop working to find ways to save Texans money.

This year alone, I have supported legislation to save taxpayer dollars by prioritizing funding and trimming back or eliminating areas of waste and inefficiency. These bills rein in federal overreach and bureaucratic red tape that infringes on the rights of Americans and stifles economic growth.

Just recently, I supported the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015 which passed in the House with a majority of Republican votes. This bill cuts taxes, reduces spending and lowers the deficit. If enacted, it will achieve $78.9 billion in savings and decrease deficits by roughly $130 billion by repealing a number of provisions and employer mandates in Obamacare, repealing the federal excise tax on medical devices and certain employer-provided health coverage plans, and by defunding Planned Parenthood. 

House Republicans have accomplished this despite President Obama’s best efforts to thwart the will of the American people, and the Republicans not having full control of the Senate. With a limited majority in the Senate, the Republican movement to reduce spending continues to face challenges, but we are still fighting.

I am proud to bring fiscally conservative Texas values to Washington, D.C. And I continue to work with my colleagues to hold the federal government accountable and cut spending. That is the blueprint for long-term economic growth. 

In Central Texas we are fortunate to live in a region with a strong economy, low unemployment, and sound pro-growth governing standards. We Texans have the proven formula to move America in the right direction, and I am fighting to bring more of Texas to Washington, D.C., and get Washington, D.C. out of Texas!

John R. Carter is a Republican and represents Texas District 31 in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Fort Hood, the largest military installation in the free world. He serves as Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Appropriations, is on the Subcommittee for Commerce, Justice and Science and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. 

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