The Detroit News: We can't afford unbalanced budgets anymore

Hardworking taxpayers across Michigan live within their means in large part because they create responsible budgets. It's only natural that they expect the same from their government. A balanced budget is important to those who want to promote a healthy economy and opportunity for the next generation. My colleagues in the House and I have passed a responsible budget twice in the past two years to address our mounting debt and encourage a vibrant economy. Unfortunately, the Senate and president have repeatedly failed at this most basic duty.

We're now more than $16 trillion in debt as millions of hardworking taxpayers worry about what federal overspending will mean for their future. Their concerns are valid. Since January 2009, federal spending has jumped 22 percent while publicly held debt has almost doubled since President Obama first took office.

Yet, for the fourth time in five years, President Obama has been late on submitting his budget. Our country needs strong leadership right now, not a leader who disregards his duties. This was also an opportunity for the president to address his sequester, or what's more commonly known as automatic spending cuts. After all, it was President Obama who first proposed the sequester in 2011 and made sure it was part of the debt limit agreement.

We all want to pursue an agenda which leads to better lives for the American people. But that means we need to pursue policies which push our country toward that goal of financial freedom — not ones which further weigh down future generations with debt and causes uncertainty for today's hardworking taxpayers.

That's why the House has begun this new Congress by taking concrete actions to halt the debt train in Washington.

We recently passed the No Budget, No Pay Act requiring Congress to create a budget, or forgo their pay. The next step we took was passing the Require a PLAN Act, which obligates the president to either produce a balanced budget or submit a supplemental budget by April 1 detailing in what fiscal year his plan will actually balance. President Obama has a legal and a moral obligation to provide Congress with a serious budget.

Sometimes doing our job means making tough, but necessary choices and the first step in solving our debt crisis is to realize that we won't until we stop spending beyond our means. We also must resist unworkable and short-sighted calls for further increased spending in Washington. If more spending led to economic growth, we wouldn't be having the problems we're having now.

With the last election in the rearview mirror, now is the time for Obama and Senate to finally join us in tackling the problems that face hardworking taxpayers. We need to pursue a common agenda which will lead to better lives for everyone. Together we can produce solutions that get our nation's debt crisis under control. Hardworking taxpayers are counting on it.

By making responsible choices and putting the right reforms in place, we can produce solutions that get our debt crisis under control, balance our budget, create jobs and push us toward a healthy economy.

Read the original article at DetroitNews.com.