Thursday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly passed the Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act on a narrow 210-206 vote.
The act cuts $15 billion in non-defense, previously appropriated but unspent funding— the largest spending rescission in history.
Congressman Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, voted in favor of the act.
Brooks said, “This vote is a significant step towards bringing America’s financial house in order. This rescission package is prompted by the Congressional Budget Office and the Comptroller General of the United States’ repeated warnings that America’s current financial path is ‘unsustainable’ and that America will suffer a debilitating insolvency and bankruptcy unless we immediately confront a soon to begin, unending string of trillion dollar a year deficits projected to start in FY 2020.”
“According to Trump Secretary of Defense Mattis, Trump Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dunford, and Obama Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mullen, America’s exploding deficits and accumulated debt are America’s greatest national security threat,” Brooks said. “Failure to heed these warnings not only risks enormous damage to the America it took our ancestors centuries to build, it also risk extraordinary loss of American life caused by a resulting gutting of America’s national security capabilities.”
Brooks continued, “Notably, not a single Democrat was financially responsible because not a single Democrat voted for the recessions package. This vote confirms that Democrats are wholly and completely unwilling to do even relatively minor things necessary to avoid a disastrous insolvency and bankruptcy of America.”
The White House said in a statement, “The Administration applauds today’s passage of HR3, the Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives and urges the Senate to quickly act on the legislation. In keeping with his promise to get our fiscal house back in order, President Donald J. Trump exercised his authority under the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 in early May by sending to the Congress a package of $15 billion in proposed rescissions of Federal funds. In line with this historic request, HR3 would rescind funding that is not needed for its intended purposes, or that has been sitting unused within agencies for years and return it to the American taxpayer. President Trump and this Administration are fully committed to protecting taxpayers, and Senate passage of this legislation is critical to reducing wasteful, unnecessary spending and making our Federal Government more efficient, effective, and accountable.”
Brooks represents the 5th House District for Alabama.. On Tuesday, Brooks defeated a GOP primary challenge from Clayton Hinchman.
