The U.S. House members voted to trim their own office budgets by 5 percent on Thursday and Florida Republicans are insisting it's a good start to controlling federal spending.
The measure passed with 410 votes and 13 votes in opposition. Supporters of the measure say that it will save taxpayers $35 million annually. Every member of the delegation, save Republicans Gus Bilirakis and David Rivera who did not vote, backed the measure. The measure now heads to the Senate.
Florida Republican Ander Crenshaw, who has represented the First Coast and North Florida in Congress since 2000, took to the House floor on Thursday to speak in favor of the measure.
"I rise today in support of House Resolution 22, said Crenshaw, who is a member of the House Appropriations Committee. What will it do? Quite simply, it will save the taxpayers millions of dollars. How will we do it? Quite simply, we will spend less money on ourselves.
We will cut the operating budget of committees by 5 percent, added Crenshaw. We will cut spending by leadership offices by 5 percent. And, we will cut every member office account by 5 percent. At the Appropriations Committee, on which I sit, accounts will be cut by 9 percent. Its my hope we can all do more.
These are difficult times in our country, and this is no time for business-as-usual. No more perks. No more privileges. No more waste he continued. Congress has a chance to look at itself in the mirror with this measure, and we can lead by example. Americans have been making tough choices businesses and families. Now, its time to get our house in order.
We are taking the first step, Crenshaw insisted. We are going to cut our own spending, and thats what we will demand from every agency in the government. We can do a whole lot more with a whole lot less. I know it. You know it. And, the American people know it.
Crenshaw was not the only Florida Republican who cheered the measure.
Trimming the fat in Congress is the first step toward getting federal spending under control, said U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney. We need to start making the tough decisions to put Washingtons fiscal house in order. When the spending levels set by the last Congress expire in March, the House will immediately return spending to pre-bailout, pre-stimulus levels.
Voters sent a strong message in November that they are ready for the spending binge in Washington to come to an end, added Rooney.We are going to cut government spending, starting with our own office budgets. The American people are finding ways to cut back, and so should the federal government.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
