HOUSE Republican Leader John Boehner

Boehner Web Video: “We Need Some Spending Sanity Here in Washington”

In a web video released yesterday, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) called for spending sanity here in Washington as Democrats move a nearly half-trillion omnibus spending bill through the House.  House Republican leaders yesterday sent Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) a letter requesting they scrap the omnibus spending bill in favor of legislation that freezes federal spending at current levels and contains no earmarks.  The full web video and text follow:

“Hi, I’m Congressman John Boehner.  We need some spending sanity here in Washington.  You know, we just passed this $800 billion so-called stimulus bill and now we’re about to pass a $410 billion omnibus appropriations bill because we didn’t finish our work last year.  There are nine appropriations bills that [Democrats] are going to wrap together that are $30 billion over budget in a bill that contains 9,000 earmarks.  This is absolutely crazy.

“We’ve asked Speaker Pelosi to give us a chance to have a spending freeze for the balance of this year.  It gets rid of all the earmarks and makes it clear that we’re not going to - these agencies don’t need any more spending than what they had last year.  I think at the end of the day, this would be a much more appropriate way in which to spend your money and to show the American people that, listen, if you can live on a budget that’s not any bigger than last year and maybe even smaller, the federal government doesn’t need to increase spending at any of these agencies either.  Hope you have a good day.”

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 at 10:40 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Boehner Web Video: “We Need Some Spending Sanity Here in Washington””

1. Susan Williams Says:
   February 25th, 2009 at 2:00 pm

   Re: Video on Spending Sanity. How about including some sage wisdom from one of our Founding Fathers in your addresses, to drive home the point of how far our nation as drifted? Such as: “A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.” Thomas Jefferson

2. Joan Grube Says:
   February 26th, 2009 at 7:00 pm

   I would love to have a list of all the Ohio Republicans who have sponsored earmarks in the current Stimulus bill. I can’t believe members of my own political party can’t resist the desire to feed at the trough.

3. William Carwile Says:
   February 27th, 2009 at 12:40 am

   Dear Congressman Boehner:
   While I am not one of your constituents from the great State of Ohio, it seems that because of your selection by your colleagues as the House Republican Leader. In this critically important position, you have great influence over decisions that impact not only Ohioans but all Americans.
   I admire the work you have done in terms of trying to address the many ethical issues that face the members of our national legislative branch.
   I am a retired US Army colonel who spent 30 years on active duty, serving two combat tours in Vietnam and several other overseas assignments. I grew up in Oklahoma and Texas in a very conservative environment with parents who were long time Republicans. When I was young. “LSMFT” was not the cigarette brand. Lucky Strike advertising slogan, Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco. In our home in stood for. “Lord Save Us from Truman”.

   I am now sad to say that I have become extremely disappointed in the Republican Party. While the nation, and the entire world, is suffering from a world wide deep recession, the only thing we hear from our Republican leaders is the old, old refrain about higher taxes and runaway spending. The GOP seems to have no new ideas about how to address the growing gap between the rich and poor, the morass on Wall Street, or the loss of confidence by the world and our own citizens in our economic system. Less taxes for the wealthiest Americans and no government regulation of financial institutions, our food production, or any other regulatory requirements and the return to a, “buyer beware” mentality has contributed greatly to our national crisis and our loss of confidence in our food sources.
   Now to blame the new Administration for creating a huge National debt when we will spend a trillion or more dollars, heretofore not included in the budget, on an unnecessary and immoral war seems disingenous, at best. The selling off of inherently governmental functions to the best clients of the highest paid lobbyist in Washington in order that goods and services previously provided cheaply by governmental agencies are now huge profit makers for the General Dynamics, Haliburtons, etc. of the world.

   We have lost the moral high ground, we so paintakingly earned over the decades, through our use of torture, our disregard for the environment, and the mean spiritness of our foreign and domestic policies, as well as the total politicization of our judicial system. Where was our legislature in terms of its oversight responsibilities for those six years of abuse?
   Going forward, as a former Young Republican, I would very much like to see the GOP develop positive approaches to our financial and other challenges, reaching across the isle, when appropriate, to President Obama to solve problems. The GOP cannot rely on the old “tax and spend” attacks on the Democrats and a “hip hop” face that the new RNC director seems to favor.

   Please do what you can to reinstitute a two party system in our country. This negativism and old approaches will not do anything but make the Democrats the political power in our Nation for the next 20 years.

4. Robin Searle Says:
   February 27th, 2009 at 5:50 pm

   Dear Congressman:

   I wanted to say how much I appreciate the fact that you and others like you are in Washington trying to stop this outlandish spending spree this country is on! Every day I read the news and I’m apalled at what Obama and the Deomcrats are doing. No one I know in middle class America supports any of these bailouts despite what the CNN polls continue to say. I have to wonder who they’re polling! I’m from Colorado and have been e-mailing my representatives, but of course with two Democratic Senators, it’s been a waste of time. I so respect what you are doing and the stand you and other Republicans are taking. Please know you have a huge amount of support from many American people.

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