Politics
Seven Florida Republicans Balked at $1 Trillion Federal Spending Bill
Around the State
U.S. Representatives Bill Posey, Adam West and Ander Crenshaw | Credit: republicanconference - Gage Skidmore - Jaxport - FlickrConservatives assailed the measure, which passed 296-121, for a variety of reasons.
Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, noted that the bill spends $31.6 billion more than the House-passed budget plan and nearly $10 billion more than the bipartisan Budget Control Act agreed to in August.
“Too many in Washington still do not take seriously $1.4 trillion annual budget deficits, adding billions of dollars each and every day to our nation's $15 trillion national debt. This bill failed to exercise the restraint needed to get our own budget in order.
“The decision to abandon the 72-hour requirement for this 1,217-page bill and rush through a stack of spending bills that should have been subjected to thorough review is disappointing," Posey said.
Rep. Steve Southerland, R-Tallahassee, said the "megabus" H.R. 2055 did not go nearly far enough in scaling back the excesses of Washington.
"If you want to get out of a hole, you’ve got to stop digging. Fixing this fiscal mess is going to take game-changing spending cuts, a balanced budget, and common sense regulatory policies that create an environment for job creation and economic growth," Southerland said.
Rep. David Rivera, R-Miami, voted against the budget bill after congressional negotiators, bowing to a veto threat, eliminated restrictions on Cuba travel.
“Today, President Barack Obama reaffirmed his allegiance to Fidel and Raul Castro and confirmed his status as the Castro brothers’ best ally and chief lobbyist in Washington," Rivera charged.
"My vote against this budget is intended to demonstrate my willingness to continue fighting the Obama administration’s policy of appeasement and unilateral concessions toward the Castro regime."
The four other Florida Republicans voting against the measure were Sandy Adams, R-Orlando; Connie Mack, R-Naples; Dennis Ross, R-Tampa; and Cliff Stearns, R-Ocala.
Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, said he voted for the bill because it cuts discretionary spending by $95 billion compared with fiscal year 2010.
"For the first time since World War II, the House has significantly reduced discretionary spending two years in a row, managing to adequately fund integral programs to maintain critical services and programs Americans rely on," West said.
"It has been a long time coming, but today's legislation -- consistent with the Pledge to America -- has completely eliminated earmarks. Compare that to 10,000 earmarks in the appropriations bill passed under the Democrat majority in 2009, and 8,000 earmarks in the appropriations bill in 2010."
Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Jacksonville, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said the bill "addresses key programming needs in Florida and across the nation."
He cited $14.9 million in military construction funds to keep nuclearization work at Naval Station Mayport moving forward.
For West, highlights of the spending bill included:
Comments (7)
TO: TEA PARTY AND 9-12 GROUPS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
Due to a long train of abuses foisted upon us primarily by what is known as the “Main Stream Media” in promoting favored political candidates, we have been forced into voting many times for “the lesser of two evils”. We have been told in the past that if we vote our conscience and not for the “front runner” we are wasting our vote. This manipulation is no longer acceptable.
At this time in history we are, again, entering the same undesirable and unacceptable situation for the 2012 Presidential Election.
Therefore; we, the members of the CENTRAL FLORIDA TEA PARTY / 9-12 COALITION, have made a conscious decision and have determined that the Republican candidates who we are told are the “front runners”, ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE choices for our vote in the Primary Election!
The very fate of our country and along with it the promise of freedom and liberty for which our founding fathers pledged their life, fortune and sacred honor, hangs in the balance of this election.
It is imperative that we elect a president who we can trust to return our country to the founding principles that made America the greatest nation on earth.
Our determination is that three and ONLY three candidates have that potential. In alphabetical order they are:
1. Michele Bachmann
2. Ron Paul
3. Rick Santorum
We reject the manipulation of the Media to influence our vote and pre-determine “who is electable”. WE, the American people, – not the media - shall determine what candidate best represents American values of a government constitutionally limited in power, preserves our individual liberty, respects the bill of rights and fosters a government that is fiscally responsible with our tax dollars.
We request that your Tea Party or 9-12 group respond with your endorsement of our position presented here. Please respond with your pledge in support of this letter.
Contact kepusd@yahoo.com or dnd2812@hotmail.com
Steve Southerland may have a sense of fiscal responsibility but his vote in favor or HR 1540 along with others in the War Party require us to revoke his Tenth Amendment Pledge which he signed on July 1,2010.
If at first you don't secede, try, try again!