From the office of Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R, 11th, Illinois)…
Washington, D.C. – Today, on the 41st day since the House passed H.R. 1, Congressman Adam Kinzinger (IL-11) spoke out in support of H.R. 1255, urging the Senate to cut $61 billion in government spending.
“Last year, when our friends on the other side of the aisle had the Majority in Washington, they failed to do the most basic thing — pass a budget. No budget was passed because they didn’t want to have to make the tough choices that would hurt them in re-election. Instead, Washington Democrats kicked the can down the road and passed a Continuing Resolution.
“As a result, the American people spoke up in November. They said the big, bloated, bureaucratic government is crowding out the free market.
“The American people sent us to Washington with a mandate to make the difficult, but necessary decisions to get our spending under control. All across the 11th District, Illinoisans are demanding that the government stop spending money we don’t have — we are doing exactly that.
“In February, the House passed a significant cut, but this is a cut to just a small part of the budget. We’re not even talking about the 2012 budget — that’s coming up.
“However, our friends on the other side of the aisle refuse to come to table and show us where they’re at in these negotiations. They can’t cut spending. The failure of the Senate Majority has forced us to put forth this legislation today.
“As a military pilot, I have friends serving our country who are wondering if they’re going to get paid if the government does shutdown. I say, ‘Ask Harry Reid; we’ve tried to make sure you continue to get paid.’
“Tim Norman, owner of STL Technology Partners, who is trying to send his kids to college while running his a small business in Bloomington, doesn’t know if he can trust in the faith of what this government is going to be in the future because our friends on the other side of the aisle don’t want to do anything to rein-in this out of control government
“One week from today, uncertainty will grow even greater if the Senate fails to act. This economy needs certainty and we can’t have that until we pass a funding bill and budget for 2012.
“I was sent here to be honest with my constituents about our current fiscal state of affairs; I don’t think it’s any secret that we cannot continue down this reckless trajectory. We’ve kicked the can down the road for too long and now, there’s no more road left.
“It’s time to tackle the spending and budgeting and ensure the fiscal soundness of this country for future generations.”