The Federal Budget - Mac's Video Mailbox Week of April 1, 2013

May 17, 2013

I have received many phone calls, letters, and emails about the federal budget. In this edition of my video mailbox, I want to answer some of the questions and concerns that I have heard and read from people in our part of Texas. In March, the House passed a plan to balance the federal budget in 10 years through responsible entitlement reform and reductions in mandatory spending. It does so by reducing spending $4.6 trillion over the next decade. While I voted for that budget, I also voted for the Republican Study Committee's budget that would balance in just 4 years. It also makes serious reforms to entitlements and other mandatory spending programs. It is important to remember several other important fiscal matters that affect our nation's budget and debt. At the beginning of March, the across-the-board budget cuts, known as the "sequester," went into effect. While I would prefer more targeted, sensible cuts, the sequester will reduce our deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. We also passed a bill to fund the government - at the lower spending levels required by the sequester - that will keep the federal government operating through the end of September. I invite you to learn more about these issues by watching this edition of the video mailbox. Have a question you would like answered? Please contact me by phone, letter, e-mail,on Facebook, or on Twitter.