Rep. Steve Scalise - Louisiana Votes "NO"

The Scalise Capitol Report
Friday, February 13, 2009

Today we will be voting on the President's $800 billion spending bill. The liberal leadership in Congress has been rushing a massive spending bill through Congress during the last two weeks under the guise of a stimulus package. This massive spending bill will cost taxpayers more than $800 billion, and many reports coming out criticize the spending plan for doing very little to stimulate our economy. I will oppose this failed big-government approach to our economic problems.

When you look across the country you see families tightening their belts to live within their means, and states are making necessary cuts to balance their budgets. Washington is the only place that is going on a wild spending spree during these tough economic times. Rather than acting hastily, it is much more important that we take the time to get it right. We need to help our families, businesses and entrepreneurs by providing tax relief to create good jobs, rather than saddling our children and grandchildren with hundreds of billions of dollars in additional national debt.

I have joined with other Members of Congress to propose a real economic stimulus package called the Economic Recovery and Middle-Class Tax Relief Act of 2009. H.R. 470 focuses on cutting taxes to create jobs and get our nation's economy back on track. Rather than adding hundreds of billions of dollars in new national debt, our alternative plan will create jobs by cutting taxes for middle-class families and small businesses, while also protecting future generations from more debt by reining in runaway spending in Washington.