Graves: We must get control of the federal budget

(From Sixth District Congressman Sam Graves)

Budgets are about priorities. The federal budget has to provide for our military men and women, protect Social Security and Medicare, and it must show that we are serious about getting control of the national debt.

This past week, the House of Representatives passed the Bipartisan Budget Agreement of 2015, setting spending for the federal government through next year. This budget includes some positive reforms, but it raises the debt ceiling without cutting nearly enough spending in return. I could not support the debt ceiling increase or the overall budget.

The national debt has grown at an unacceptable level over the past six and a half years. We simply cannot continue raising the debt ceiling without addressing the root of our problems – too much spending in Washington. This bill increases discretionary federal spending by $80 billion over the next two years, and it fails to address the fiscal crisis facing Social Security and Medicare, the two biggest drivers of our debt.

All in all, this budget is more of the same, kicking the can down the road on the serious issues we face as a country. Instead, we need real reforms that will put our economy and the debt on a sustainable path going forward.