Expressing his support for the budget-taming power of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) said the federal budget needs to be cut especially in the area of non-defense expenditures.
“The level of taxpayer savings in this bill is historic," Calvert said of the tremendous cuts provided through the Fiscal Responsibility Act. "The bill reduces non-defense discretionary spending by $40 billion – the largest amount ever. The bill claws back nearly $28 billion in unspent COVID funding – the largest rescission of federal funds in history."
Calvert stressed that the cuts did not impact programs many Americans depend upon, such as Social Security.
"Republicans were able to negotiate these savings while protecting our veterans, defense spending as well as Social Security and Medicare," he said.
In a press release on May 30, Calvert lauded the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which he said helps keep his pledge to voters by curtailing excessive spending in Washington. He criticized President Biden and Democrats in Congress for fiscal recklessness and advocated the Fiscal Responsibility Act as a pathway to economic sanity. Calvert sees this bill as an opportunity to set the country on a road to financial recovery in answer to the public clamor for cutbacks with any debt ceiling increase.
As the head of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Calvert also took issue with the Democrats' insistence on balanced defense and non-defense allocations. Calvert called for a strategy that focuses defense funds on imminent risks and advanced modernization while staying within set budget limits. This can be accomplished, he said, by cutting funding for Defense Department initiatives that are not tied to national security, while also streamlining personnel and promoting innovation to encourage competition and slice expenses.
The Fiscal Responsibility Act would address several Republican goals, including getting rid of bureaucratic obstacles, cutting costs and fast-tracking infrastructure plans, the release said. The bill also goes on to target poverty by establishing stricter work requisites for adult welfare recipients that are able-bodied and without children, according to Calvert.
As another advantage of the bill, Calvert said it eliminates the Democrat-endorsed $5 trillion tax increase and reins in Biden's proposed funding for hiring IRS agents. Instead of viewing the nation's financial state as reflecting a revenue shortfall, Calvert likes the Fiscal Responsibility Act for identifying out-of-control spending as the real culprit.
Calvert, who represents California's District 41, has lived in Riverside County for his entire life. His career path of almost two decades has including working as a restaurant and real-estate entrepreneur, according to his biography. In addition to serving in Congress, Calvert has found other ways to contribute to the community, such as volunteering for the Corona Chamber of Commerce, the Corona Rotary and the Corona-Norco Family YMCA.