Kudos to Reps. Pallone, Holt and Payne

by: Adam L

Wed Jul 28, 2010 at 10:15:00 AM EDT

Democrats in the House swore they wouldn't pass a funding bill.  Then they swore that it wouldn't be passed without PAYGO.  Then they swore it wouldn't be passed without adding domestic spending for some very necessary programs in it.  Which they did pass.  Then the Senate rejected the funding (without PAYGO), sending it back to the House for a standalone vote - no PAYGO, no domestic spending.

Make this clear - this was a vote to continue wasting tens of billions of dollars on what has become a clusterf**k of an operation with no defined mission or goal or endgame - at a time when families are barely hanging on here in the US.  And it comes at a time when 90,000 documents were just released showing just how much of a disaster the occupation has become, and at a time when casualties are ever increasing.

And at a time when Republicans in the House have screamed about the deficit and helping those here in the US, it is ironic but expected that only 12 voted against the funding (all 5 here in NJ voted for it, no shocker there).  But of the 102 Democrats to vote against it, three were from New Jersey, and should be singled out for their patriotic and brave stand against this waste of money, priorities and lives.

So a big thank you to Congressmen Pallone, Holt and Payne.  You did real good with this vote.

Here is their contact info if you want to thank them as well:

Pallone: Phone: (202) 225-4671

Holt: Phone: (202) 225-5801

Payne: Phone: (202)-225-3436

NJ House GOP votes against Paying as you go

by: Jason Springer

Wed Jul 29, 2009 at 12:15:00 PM EDT

Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2009 YES NO Adler Andrews Holt Pascrell Payne Rothman Sires Frelinghuysen Garrett Lance LoBiondo Smith

Democrats are in blue, and Republicans are in red.

For too many years, reckless budgetary policies put our nation at risk and contributed to the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Now, Congress has an opportunity to change the direction of our country's annual budgets by building strong statutory safeguards that limit the level of annual government spending.

The principle of "pay-as-you-go" is very smart and simple. Congress can only spend a dollar if it saves a dollar elsewhere. Setting reasonable spending guidelines will guarantee a bright future for generations of Americans. Currently, our national debt stands at an unprecedented level of $11.2 trillion. This amount will keep rising each year we have an annual deficit. To eliminate our deficits we must spend within our means.

Where Our Conversation - and Responsibility - Begins

by: Steve Rothman

Wed Jan 31, 2007 at 09:58:00 PM EST

This policy is just common sense.  Pay-go was last enacted in 1991 - back before Republicans gained control of Congress.  Throughout the rest of George H.W. Bush's time in office and for every day of Bill Clinton's Presidency, pay-go helped Congress enforce fiscal discipline on its members.  As a result, for the first time since World War II, the federal deficit began a sustained reduction.  By 1998, this policy had created a budget surplus and, for the first time in generations, Congress was able to begin paying down the national debt.