WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) spoke to his colleagues in the Senate on Wednesday about one of his greatest concerns: our nation’s out-of-control spending. America’s national debt now stands at more than $15 trillion and this enormous amount of debt is slowing America’s economic recovery and threatening the prosperity of future generations.

Sen. Moran spoke about the importance of passing a federal budget in order to restrain spending and put our nation back on the path to fiscal responsibility. On Wednesday, members of the Senate voted on five budget proposals, including the President’s budget, which failed by a vote of 0-99. The U.S. Senate has not passed a budget in 1,113 days.

Excerpts from Sen. Moran’s remarks can be found below, along with links to video downloads.

“Mr. President, today we considered five separate budget proposals for the federal government.  At first glance, that would appear to be the fiscally responsible thing to do. The families and small business owners that I talk with back in Kansas all operate on a budget, and we know the federal government needs to do so as well. However, this chamber, the Senate, has not passed a budget in 1,113 days – more than three years.”

“In my first speech on the Senate floor as a new member of the U.S. Senate, a little more than a year ago, I indicated that my greatest concern for our country is our nation’s out-of-control spending.  I’m here today because I’ll still have that concern: We spend too much money and we can no longer delay the difficult decisions necessary to correct that problem.”

“Writing and passing a budget is one of the most basic responsibilities of Congress – it’s required by law. The budget sets forth priorities and guidelines for the fiscal year and begins the process of determining how much money should be spent and which programs should be cut back, eliminated or supported further.”

“To put our country back on a path to fiscal responsibility, we must set budget limits and stick to them.”

“Any serious conversation about the budget and federal spending must include a candid assessment of our nation’s entitlement programs – which includes Social Security and Medicare. Mandatory spending makes up 56 percent of the federal budget. This percentage will only increase in the years ahead as more Americans retire and fewer workers are there to replace them. Without addressing our long term commitments, our attempts to significantly change our country’s fiscal outlook will be limited.”

“These challenges cannot be ignored any longer. Of the five budgets we considered earlier today, four of them - all but President Obama’s budget - contain serious proposals to reform these entitlements. I can critique every one of the four budgets that move in the right direction of balancing the budget, there are things I would do differently, but I commend my colleagues for offering serious solutions to serious problems.”

“It has bothered me greatly that when members of the House or Senate offer a serious budget, they are immediately attacked from a political point of view, as if we can continue to ignore the problems we face and simply make sound bites out of proposals members of the Senate and House care very seriously about. We have got to work together to put forward commonsense solutions that will help preserve these programs for future generations.”

“In Congress, we have a solemn obligation to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. Our spending debate is oftentimes seen as a philosophical, academic, or a partisan argument, but the truth is out-of-control borrowing and spending has very real consequences on the daily lives of Americans and our economy. It is about whether or not Americans can find a job, make their payments on their homes and automobiles, and whether their children will have a bright future and the opportunity to pursue the American dream.”

FTP LINK:  Click here to download the video of his remarks. (Save to your desktop.)

 

YOUTUBE:  Click here to watch the floor speech on YouTube.

 

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