The United States must rein in its spending. That’s the assessment of Congressman Todd Rokita (R-IN4).
He voted against the bill designed to address the fiscal cliff issue, citing the nation’s growing debt as the real problem.
Rokita says the proposals discussed over the past few weeks were good tax reform measures.
“Fixing the AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax), handling the estate tax, so our farmers and others have certainty in planning, and it saved about 98% of tax-filers from a tax increase, so those are good things. As tax reforms they were good.”
He says spending on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid must be addressed to reduce the deficit. Rokita thinks that will happen only when enough people are willing to have the country live within its means.
Rokita sees a real opportunity now to take-on those programs.
“To make a case to Hoosiers and the American people, and to continue the awakening that I think is going on, that – hey, we have to be a country that lives within its means if we care more about our children and grandchildren than we do ourselves.”
Rokita wants to take a closer look at U.S. defense spending. He says even though defense is the federal government’s highest priority, current spending is sloppy.
“The Department of Defense, especially when you include its contractors, is the largest employer in the United States. Nowhere in the Constitution do we say the Defense Department should or must exist for a jobs program. It should exist to keep us safe.”
Rokita says he’s aware Indiana has many defense contractors within its borders, but he thinks the efficient and productive companies will continue to be around.
