Just hours after taking my first oath of office as a member of Congress in 2009, I put my name to a bill that would require the federal government to balance its budget just like Missouri lawmakers are required to do and just like hard-working Missourians must do so they can makes ends meet.

While the balanced budget amendment legislation I have co-sponsored since 2009 has fallen short in the liberal Senate, I am proud that House Republicans, under the leadership of Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, have introduced a plan that over the next decade will halt government debt and get our books back in balance. I have had the privilege of talking one-on-one with Chairman Ryan about our budget crisis and I believe he has the right approach to turning our economy around.

I believe we owe the American people a responsible, balanced budget because, to be perfectly blunt, it’s not fair to take more just to spend more in Washington. The bottom line is that a balanced budget will foster a healthier economy and help create jobs.

The proposed House budget promises to increase economic growth and job creation through bringing down all tax rates and increasing the share of after-tax wages families will have available to spend, save or invest. The Ryan budget targets wasteful government spending and strengthens our entitlement programs so they’ll be there for our children and grandchildren. This budget proposal reflects a real vision of how to revive the economy and make life work for more families. This budget also is significant because for those hard-working folks trying to keep up with health care costs, as our budget will repeal Obamacare and open the way for patient-centered reforms that our country desperately needs and deserves.

For those of you who would like the opportunity to review this budget proposal for yourself, I would encourage you to visit http://budget.house.gov/uploadedfiles/fy14budget.pdf.

Meanwhile, the Senate after four long years finally unveiled a budget. It does not balance. It raises taxes, and it grants $100 billion in additional stimulus. And let’s be honest: the Liberals who run Washington will never have their budget balance – ever. Even the president recently admitted in an interview on ABC News that he won’t balance his budget “just for the sake of balance.” And let’s not forget that the president has yet to even produce a budget despite the fact that he was legally-obligated to do so in February.

At a time when the nation is $16.6 trillion in debt, deficits are at record levels and the government is wasting billions of dollars on senseless government programs, it is time for Washington to get serious about the future. I urge the president to live up to his promise to go through the budget line-by-line and I urge the Senate to come to the table willing to cut government growth.

As a member of the House, I have proudly voted in favor of budget bills that will help restore our nation back to prosperity while at the same time cutting spending, balancing the budget and doing away with the budget-busting Obamacare provisions. It is time for us to stop budgeting by crisis. Hard-working Americans are tired of continuing resolutions and last-minute desperation deals that keep government running but do little to restore economic confidence and prosperity.

It’s time to put a responsible spending plan together and the framework for that has begun in the House. I look forward to keeping you informed as we move forward with the critical process of deciding how best to prioritize and wisely spend your hard-earned taxpayer dollars.