McCaul: Obama listening to the people?
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul said President Barack Obama’s state of the union address Wednesday is an indication the president “is finally listening to the American people.”
“After losing a Senate seat in Massachusetts and a year of failed policies, I’m glad the president is finally listening to the American people and coming around to policies that conservatives have been advocating for years — giving tax breaks to small businesses that create jobs and cutting the capital gains tax,” said McCaul (R-Texas), whose district includes Washington County.
“However, the president can’t have it both ways. Cutting some taxes while raising others to pay for new, expensive government programs, doesn’t add up.
“What people want and what our country needs is a real commitment to create jobs, improve the economy and cut the deficit, not just expand the welfare state.
“Unfortunately, the president still does not show a commitment to cut spending. His $250 billion in savings over the next 10 years is merely symbolic, and is a drop in the bucket compared to our trillion dollar annual deficits.
“A spending freeze on discretionary programs only serves to secure the 57 percent increase in spending that the president approved in his first year in office. At this rate, our $12.2 trillion national debt will continue to climb.”
McCaul said Obama’s speech “demonstrated that he either fails to understand the severity of our debt or he prefers to ignore the American people’s cries to stop digging a hole for our children to climb out of.”
“If the president is serious about getting America’s fiscal house in order he can start by setting aside his $1.2 trillion government takeover of our health care system and instead focus on only the necessary reforms,” he said.
“I join the rest of the House Republican leadership in once again offering our proven strategy of creating jobs and stimulating economic growth by permanently cutting taxes for families and small businesses and cutting the record deficit.”