When I arrived in Congress in 2001, my goals were simple: cut spending and shrink the size of government. I felt it was important to shine a light on the most egregious examples of pork and those who supported them, regardless of whether the big-spenders were Democrats or Republicans. From small stuff like federal funding for an indoor rainforest in Iowa to the billions in President Obama's pork laden 2009 stimulus package, I've tried to stop Washington's continued quest for expanding government and wasting your money.
We've had some successes. For example, we now have a moratorium on earmarks. But we're still spending far too much money.
When I decided to run for U.S. Senate, I said that I'd to continue to shine a light on wasteful spending. We've all heard the egregious examples of the “Cornhusker Kickback” and “Louisiana Purchase” that were used to pass Obamacare. It was my goal to stop these Senate deals, or at least spotlight them for public ridicule.
Because individual appropriations bill rarely come to the Senate floor, cutting spending and shrinking government in the Senate is a more challenging pursuit. With the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate and President Obama's spending priorities, we're playing defense and working with the House to cut where we can and shine a light on the shameful deficits and ballooning debt.
But there's light at the end of the tunnel….
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