Think about this: every dollar paid in taxes and every dollar borrowed in Washington is a dollar that can’t be used by everyday Americans to buy a car, pay the rent, send a child to school, or expand a business.

Unfortunately, this is the world we live in and the federal government is spending far too many of the dollars that should be in your pockets. As I travel throughout eastern and central Missouri, the number one issue I hear about is reining in our nation’s out of control spending and debt. That’s because you know that getting our debt under control will create real, meaningful gains for our economy which will benefit each and every American.

Each year, the House of Representatives is tasked with producing a budget to set forth a framework for the upcoming fiscal year, and this week, I was proud to support the budget that passed the House of Representatives for Fiscal Year 2016. And, unlike the White House, House Republicans take our nation’s finances very seriously. For example, the House plan balances the budget in less than 10 years without raising taxes, while the president’s budget never balances.

Balancing the budget is not a newfound thought. Families and businesses in Missouri, and across the nation, wisely prioritize spending to make ends meet. Our country should do the same.

Not only does the House budget balance, but it repeals the president’s health-care law, boosts defense spending to make sure our nation is secure and our war fighters have the tools they need to be successful, eliminates “double dipping” of Disability Insurance and Unemployment Insurance and establishes a plan to strengthen the Social Security Trust Fund, and saves and strengthens Medicare for current and future retirees by ending the $700 billion Obamacare raid on Medicare. 

The House of Representatives stepped up again by advancing a bold plan of action that will help life our nation’s crushing burden of debt and spur job creation and economic opportunity. This budget places the country on a path to pay off the debt by growing the economy and making government more efficient, effective, and accountable.

We must get back to a culture that promotes saving and smart investment. Hard-working families and small business owners across the country live by these tenets – why should the federal government be exempt from this?