The Era of ‘Blame Bush’ Is Over: National Debt Increased More Under Obama Than Any Other President

It was announced today that the national debt has grown $4.939 trillion in the three short years since President Obama took office, the largest increase in debt under any president in our nation’s history. It tops the $4.899 trillion debt acquired under President George W. Bush’s two terms in office. President Obama and Congressional Democrats have often blamed President Bush for our national debt issues, claiming the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Medicare prescription drug program are to blame for our current debt crisis.

“Looks like the president and Congressional Democrats can no longer play the ‘Blame Bush’ game to wipe away their responsibility for our debt crisis,” stated Westmoreland. “Today’s numbers show it is their reckless ‘spend now, pay later’ policies that have driven this country into more debt than any other president in our nation’s history. And that’s not even the full picture because we are just three years in to this president’s first term. If he were to win re-election and his budget proposals were actually approved, our debt would reach $20 trillion by the end of his presidency – an increase of more than $9 trillion. Or to put it another way, if he were to serve as president for two full terms and spend money the way he wants, he will have increased the national debt almost 100 percent since taking office.”

President Obama’s budget proposal for FY2013 expects the national debt to continue to rise throughout his presidency, without seeing a balance through the ten year projections. However, his disregard for the national debt is a change of tune from his 2008 campaign. Then, the president repeatedly spoke out against the debt acquired while President Bush was in office.

“And how does President Obama feel about a president who acquires so much debt? Well, in his own words, he describes that president as both ‘irresponsible’ and ‘unpatriotic,’” stated Westmoreland. “Look, we have absolutely got to get our debt under control. Whether the president or Congressional Democrats like it or not, they can’t keep writing checks for their favorite pet projects that this government cannot afford to cash. Numbers like these released today should serve as a wakeup call to all Americans, no matter their political affiliation, that it is time reform the way Washington spends money before it’s too late.”

Click here to view the video of President Obama referring to President Bush as ‘irresponsible’ and ‘unpatriotic’ for increasing the debt $4.899 trillion in eight years – less than what President Obama has increased the budget in only three short years.

Westmoreland: The State of Our Union Is Divided

On Tuesday, the president gave his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. The speech covered a multitude of issues, including energy, immigration, education, national defense, and taxes. The speech is a constitutional requirement on the presidency and has become a way for the president to announce his agenda for the coming year. Below is Representative Westmoreland’s reaction to the president’s speech.

“What struck me the most was the president’s complete disconnect with reality. He promised job creation and announced the need for an all-of-the-above energy plan – an idea instituted by Republicans back in 2008 – yet only two weeks ago he killed the Keystone Pipeline, a construction project that would have created tens of thousands of direct jobs and helped America decrease its reliance on oil from the Middle East. He discussed the damage a tax increase would have on our fragile economy, yet in the same speech advocated for raising taxes on American job creators. He even invoked President Lincoln, stating ‘that government should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more,’ while at the same time pushing for more regulations of our energy and financial industries. I didn’t think the gap between what the president says and what he does could get much larger – until he actually contradicted himself in the same speech.

“Yes, the Campaigner-in-Chief unfortunately gave the speech that I was expecting: one full of rhetoric that painted the rosy view of our country rather than the actual state of our union. And why wouldn’t he? He’s running for president after all. And his reelection bid is based on his ability to convince the American people they aren’t worse off under his leadership.

“Well, like my grandmother always said, ‘Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.’ And Mr. President, you aren’t fooling me this time.

“This was the same speech we’ve all heard before. Promises of comprehensive immigration reform, education reform, tax breaks for college tuition, job creation, tax breaks for American companies, and energy independence. All promises the president has broken. The president’s speech tonight was nothing more than a laundry list filled with lofty promises, but short on actual policy.

“While I agree with him that the American spirit is one that can lift this country back to the prosperity we are capable of, we can’t do that with crushing debt, overly burdensome regulations, and higher taxes on small businesses. And while that’s the president’s agenda for 2012 the House passed legislation to address all of these issues that were stalled in the Senate last year. This administration's failed policies have driven our economy to the brink, and his State of the Union only solidified his intent to continue down this same path.

“The true state of our union is one of divisiveness, brought on by the president’s continued insistence on of pitting Republicans against Democrats, rich against poor, haves against have nots. This president seems to thrive on chaos and we all can remember what his former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said, ‘You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.’ Our country is facing serious challenges right now and leaders in Washington must put aside political rhetoric, roll up their sleeves, and come up with real solutions to help the American people. Unfortunately, we didn’t see that,” stated Westmoreland.

From Georgians with Newt:

Just a few weeks ago many of you headed north to Iowa to help in our efforts before the Caucuses. Now, it is time to deploy to South Carolina.

Starting on Monday, January 9th, and continuing through the Primary on Saturday, January 21st, we have created a rolling deployment plan to make sure the people of South Carolina know where Newt stands when it comes to protecting this country and to share Newt's bold solutions to defeat President Obama.

There are opportunities to join people from all over the country in phone banking, walking door-to-door, waving signs, and many other exciting campaign activities!

If you are interested in traveling to South Carolina please contact Ella Krivitchenko at ellak@newt.org to let her know your availability and preferred dates of travel. In addition, please copy Sonya Harrison at sharrison@newt.org.

From Republican News Sweep: Send us YOUR official Republican candidates announcements and we'll do our best to share them with our readers. Info on sidebar.

Westmoreland Supports Legislation to Cut Taxes, Create Jobs

Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3630, the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act. The legislation contained a myriad of provisions, many of which have been passed by the House as stand-alone bills. Some of the more notable provisions include $183.4 billion in spending cuts, an extension of the two percent Social Security payroll tax, an extension and reform of unemployment benefits, a two year ‘Doc Fix,’ language requiring President Obama to issue a permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, and a legislative stay on the ‘Boiler MACT’ rules. The legislation passed with bipartisan support and has been sent to the Senate for consideration, but it is unclear whether or not it will garner enough support to be sent to the White House for signature. Congressman Westmoreland supported the bill.

“Look, this bill isn’t perfect. There are parts that I love and parts I could do without. But at the end of the day, you have to determine if the good outweighs the bad. The Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act helps to relieve the tax burden on American families, and it does so without a harmful tax hike on small businesses. Instead, it pays for the tax relief with more than $180 billion in spending cuts. Whether it’s the provisions to repeal portions of Obamacare, the provision to freeze the salaries of Members of Congress, or the provisions to close tax loopholes, the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act ensures that the burden of paying for this legislation isn’t shouldered by job creators.

“In addition to the tax relief, H.R. 3630 also creates approximately 140,000 direct and indirect jobs with the Keystone Pipeline construction and saves countless jobs by delaying the EPA’s harmful Boiler MACT regulations. Plus it makes much needed reforms to unemployment benefits, including allowing states to drug test recipients they determine are likely to be using illegal substances. Clearly, when it comes to the Middle Class Tax Relief & Job Creation Act, the good outweighs the bad.

“Now, there has been a lot of talk from the White House promising to veto this bill because of the Keystone XL Pipeline provision, which mimics language passed by the House last month with bipartisan support. Well if President Obama wants to kill legislation that creates jobs, ensures Medicare recipients have access to physicians, and extends unemployment benefits at a time when our unemployment rate continues to sit above eight percent, then he will have to answer to the American people. The president can no longer jeopardize American jobs in an effort to appease environmental activists that make up his liberal base. The buck stops with him. The Senate needs to pass this legislation and the president needs to sign it,” stated Westmoreland.

Camp: Legislation to Prevent Default and Cut Spending is a Victory for the American People

Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) released the following statement after the bipartisan House vote passing legislation to prevent default and cut spending:

“Tonight’s vote marks a victory for our economy and the American people. The legislation not only cuts spending and reforms how Washington manages its budget, it also prevents default on our financial obligations. Importantly, the package does not increase taxes, which is critical to making sure job creators have the resources they need to invest and hire more workers. Finally, the legislation establishes the clearest path yet to a balanced budget amendment — something I have long supported and that is long overdue.”

----

Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI)
Statement in Support of Legislation to Prevent Default, Cut Spending
August 1, 2011

(Remarks as Prepared)
Mr. Speaker, if Congress does not act – and act now – America will default. That would wreak havoc on our economy and make it harder for Americans to find and keep a job in an already weak economy. Default cannot be an option, and I am pleased that the bill before us ensures that will not occur.

Just as a default would threaten the economic health of this country, so would increasing taxes. Raising taxes on families and job creators would hinder investment, increase the cost of doing business and result in even less hiring. That is the wrong direction when we are struggling with an unemployment rate of 9.2 percent and 14 million Americans looking for work.

The good news is that the legislation before us recognizes these basic facts. It avoids a default, it makes sure the government pays our bills and it does not increase taxes.

And though some have argued that the new Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction could pave the way for tax increases that is not going to happen. The Committee’s structure, the baseline it will work off of and the fact that Republicans are in the majority in the House virtually guarantee taxes will not go up.

Furthermore, this legislation finally forces Washington to make serious changes to the way it spends taxpayer dollars. There are real budget reforms, there is a path to a balanced budget amendment and there are automatic spending cuts if Congress does not rein in spending on its own.

I applaud the efforts of all of those who helped craft this agreement, especially Speaker Boehner and Leader Cantor.

I urge my colleagues to recognize this opportunity to fix what is broken in Washington and use this occasion to significantly cut runaway spending.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a yes vote.

GAGOP Hosts Health and Legislative Leaders for Obamacare Discussion

The Georgia Republican Foundation, Chairman Sue P. Everhart and Foundation Chairman Chip Pearson hosted many of Georgia’s elected leaders on health care and legal policy for a panel discussion on Obamacare highlighting the legislation’s current and potential impact on the state. Among those taking part in the discussion were Attorney General Sam Olens; Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens; Senator Renee Unterman, Chairman of Health & Human Services; Representative Richard Smith, Chairman of Insurance; and Representative Sharon Cooper, Chairman of Health & Human Services.

The panelists discussed the current status of various legal challenges to the legislation, the viability of insurance exchanges and the implications of the legislation on individuals, small businesses, insurers and physicians. The panel also fielded questions from the audience.

“This broad legislation has significant impact on Georgians and our future prosperity,” said Pearson. “Americans have a lot of questions, and we thank the panelists for taking the time to answer them.”

The Georgia Republican Foundation consists of major donors to the Party. Members are invited to numerous Foundation Breakfasts and Georgia Republican Party events throughout the year. For more information about the Georgia Republican Foundation, please contact the Finance Department at 404.257.5559.

Westmoreland Votes to Repeal ObamaCare

Congressman Lynn Westmoreland joined his colleagues today to vote to strike down the job-killing ObamaCare legislation passed during the last Congress. The controversial legislation squeaked by Congress early last year, much to the chagrin of the American people. According to a recent Washington Post poll, 59% of Americans oppose the law. Below is Congressman Westmoreland’s statement.

“ObamaCare is bad policy, crafted using bad procedure. It was passed against the will of the majority of Americans, and is one of the main reasons Democrats saw massive defeats at the polls in November. There are currently 26 states challenging ObamaCare in court. We have already seen some success in federal court, including in Virginia where a judge ruled that individual mandates were unconstitutional. However, Congress must do its part to put an end to this job-destroying law that places federal bureaucrats between patients and their doctors. That’s why I am proud to announce that I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues in the House today and voted to repeal Obamacare.

“Congressional Democrats and the White House cooked the books on ObamaCare, using accounting gimmicks; one of which was charging 10 years of and only havin 6 years of spending. Any practical assessment of ObamaCare shows it costing 2.6 trillion dollars and increasing the deficit by 701 billion dollars over the next ten years. And believe it or not, it might actually get worse – when Medicare was created in 1965, they projected the cost would be 12 billion dollars in 1990. But in actuality, the cost in 1990 was 96 billion dollars – an 800 percent increase over the projections.

“We need real reform in this country that will address the problems within our health care system, while decreasing costs – not increasing costs like ObamaCare does. Now that we have voted to repeal, the committees of jurisdiction will take the next several months to hold hearings and draft legislation to replace this harmful law with real reforms. The vote today will not be an overnight solution and much must still be done. However, it is a step in the right direction,” stated Westmoreland.