Taxes & Spending

Congress needs to manage their spending just like many hard-working, honest families and businesses back in Michigan who work every day towards maintaining their responsible bottom lines.

Reduce Tax Burden

For too long, Americans have been subject to a complex, burdensome tax code that has held back job creation and harmed Michigan families who are struggling to make ends meet.  In December 2017, I voted to overhaul our broken tax code and pass H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by President Trump.  The sweeping tax reform legislation is the first major overhaul of the tax code in more than 30 years and delivers historic tax relief for workers, families and job creators in Michigan. With this bill, the typical family of four earning the median family income of $73,000 will receive a tax cut of $2,059. Click here to watch my remarks on the House floor in support of H.R. 1, and visit my tax reform page to learn more about how this law will allow people to keep more of their hard-earned money while advancing economic growth and opportunity.

Balance the Budget

I support an amendment, H.J.Res. 1, to the Constitution that requires Congress not spend more than it receives in revenues, requires a 3/5 majority vote to increase the debt limit and requires the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress.

Get Rid of Government Waste, Increase Transparency

I believe Congress needs to do a better job of identifying and stopping funding for ineffective programs that have lost their intended purpose or impact. In particular, I have spearheaded efforts to cut government waste in federal grant making.  The Grants Oversight and New Efficiency (GONE) Act requires federal agencies to take action to identify and close out thousands of expired grant accounts with a zero balance - an action which could save the government millions each year. In January 2016, the GONE Act was signed into law.

In addition, I introduced the bipartisan H.R.71, the Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act, which requires federal agencies to identify their programs and provide basic information on what the program does and how much they cost. The House passed H.R. 71 in January 2017. 

To provide greater transparency and help restore the integrity of the federal government’s rulemaking process, I introduced H.R. 1004, the Regulatory Integrity Act. It requires agencies to post, in a central location, all communications they issue during the proposed rule stage so that the public can fully participate and trust that the rulemaking process is neutral and unbiased. This bipartisan bill passed the House in March 2017.

As a member of the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I will continue working in a bipartisan fashion to conduct vigorous oversight over agencies and programs within the Committee’s jurisdiction. 

Line-Item Veto

We need to give the President the authority to single out wasteful spending items in legislation and send these specific line-items back to Congress for an up-or-down vote on whether to drop funding for these items.

Video

12/19/2017 – Walberg: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will Help Michigan
11/16/2017 – Walberg: Time for Middle Class Tax Relief
11/14/2017 – It’s Time for Tax Reform
03/02/2017 – Walberg Champions Bipartisan Good Government Transparency Bill
01/04/2017 – House Passes Walberg Transparency Bill to Begin New Congress
12/08/2016 – Walberg Presses for Answers on Wasteful Defense Spending
07/07/2016 – House Passes Two Walberg Bills to Increase Government Accountability  
06/16/2016 – Walberg Amendment Prevents Wasteful Afghanistan Infrastructure Spending
04/21/2016 – Walberg: Protect Taxpayers by Reining in IRS Abuse
04/13/2016 – Walberg Works to Reduce Wasteful Spending and Duplication
03/16/2016 – Walberg Works to Prevent Wasteful Infrastructure Spending in Afghanistan
03/01/2016 – Walberg Introduces Bill to Block Costly Lame Duck Regulations
02/10/2016 – WLNS: Walberg Responds to President’s Big Spending Budget
01/11/2016 – Walberg Bill to Cut Government Waste Heads to the President’s Desk
01/11/2016 – Walberg Champions Bipartisan Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act
01/07/2016 – Walberg Champions Amendment to Highlight Impact of Regulations on Wage Stagnation

Legislation

09/05/2017 – Co-sponsor: H.R. 3641, Free File Permanence Act of 2017
02/16/2017 – Cosponsored Legislation: H.R. 631, Death Tax Repeal Act
01/03/2017 – Cosponsored Legislation: H.R. 25, Fair Tax Act
07/13/2016 – Co-sponsor: H.R. 4938, Free File Act of 2016