Congress finally came to an agreement more than two weeks after the federal government shutdown. Notice it’s an agreement, not a solution, which means Congress really just passed the buck down the road until early next year.  But what happens next year when again no agreement is reached, negotiations that were promised over the next couple of months never happen, our national debt continues to soar out of control?  Are we right back in the same place we were in early October? What Washington needs is a lesson from the Show-Me State; it needs to pass a common-sense and a balanced budget.

Our state is required by law to have a balanced budget, in which the General Assembly passed — both balanced and fiscally responsible — ahead of schedule in May.  If we run out of money, we make cuts.  It’s that simple. The federal government hasn’t passed a budget in four years. They continue to write checks which our country can’t afford. This irresponsible spending must stop.  We have no other choice than to reign in the blank checks and stop borrowing money we never intend to pay back.  The current levels of spending can’t be sustained. We must tell our leaders in Washington to bring reform to our federal budget spending habits.

One of the big holdups for passing the Continuing Resolution was funding the so-called “Affordable Care Act,” aka Obamacare. As the healthcare exchanges rolled out this month, we saw more than just technical glitches and delays.  We saw major problems that might not be fixed for weeks or even months that surround the Affordable Care Act. I always have acknowledged that there are problems in healthcare, too many uninsured or uninsurable, access, cost, etc. However, a bureaucratic, cumbersome national solution is not the answer. That's why I supported giving states the flexibility to develop their own plans by block granting federal dollars. This was done with great success in the 90s with welfare reform.

We simply cannot sustain the out-of-control spending and increased borrowing from future generations. If we want to create an environment of safety and prosperity for all Missourians, we must be principled and thoughtful when it comes to funding entitlement programs.

I promise to continue to fight for what works for Missourians.  The Senate will continue to work over the interim on bills that will foster income, job growth, and fiscal responsibility and provide access to quality education to our neighborhood schools.  While we wait to see what Washington does, we will work to make Missouri stronger.

I always appreciate hearing from you. If you have any questions about the topics discussed above, or any other issues, please do not hesitate to contact my office.

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