Weekly Columns

A government shutdown has been averted. For now. Harry Reid and Senate Democrats were poised to close the government rather than accept House Republicans' plan to cut $100 billion from the remaining months of the 2011 budget. The House GOP majority remained firm in our conviction that spending must be reduced and passed a short-term version of our original legislation. Rather than cutting $100 billion over 7 months, this bill cuts $4 billion over two weeks.

Media reports may try to suggest otherwise, but the responsibility of avoiding a potential government shutdown rests entirely with Harry Reid and the Senate Democrats.

The budget released last week by President Obama is the clearest signal yet that Congress should expect no support from the White House in tackling the national debt. The 2012 budget was President Obama's opportunity to provide leadership and show he is serious about addressing the most dire debt crisis in our history.

Instead, the president offered a budget that proposes $8.7 trillion in new spending, $1.6 trillion in new taxes, and $13 trillion in new debt.

Thanks to the former Democratic majority's failure to pass a budget last year for 2011, Congress has an opportunity to undo some of the fiscal damage President Obama has inflicted on the current budget, while simultaneously charting a fiscally responsible course for 2012.

As the situation in Egypt remains volatile, debate continues regarding the appropriate role of the United States in bringing about a peaceful resolution to unrest in this vital Middle Eastern nation. Although it remains unclear which faction will ultimately assume control of Egypt's government -- or even what form of government the protests may achieve -- some are already calling for the U.S. government to suspend aid to the our long-time ally.

After experiencing a self-described "shellacking" in the midterm elections, many believed President Obama finally got the message that the American people are fed up with wasteful spending. Unfortunately, his State of the Union address last week demonstrated that he still doesn't get it.

As the Associated Press pointed out, "Obama offered far more examples of where he would spend than where he would cut." The speech was full of new spending projects, from construction of high-speed rail to creation of mythical "green" jobs.

Each week the 112th Congress has been in session, House Republicans have passed legislation to bring spending levels down and begin restoring balance to the budget. First, we passed new rules reducing congressional operating budgets by 5 percent and instituting a requirement that any new spending in one part of the budget be balanced by cuts elsewhere. Last week brought the repeal of President Obama's unpopular, $1.2 trillion government health care program. And this week, the House votes on a resolution to reduce spending to 2008 levels.

After an appropriate pause to honor the victims of the tragic Arizona shooting, Congress resumes legislative activity with a vote to repeal the controversial, unpopular health care law.