Congressman Lamar Smith 21st district of Texas

Contact: Brian Baluta 202-225-4236

Washington, May 7, 2009 - When the Obama Administration released its Fiscal Year 2010 budget details, it was discovered that he plans a record-breaking $3.4 trillion spending spree, projected to create a nearly $1.5 trillion budget deficit – also a record.

I think we should let hold President Obama to his word. He said repeatedly that his administration would go through the budget ‘line by line’ to eliminate waste. It seems he didn’t find any because instead he introduced the biggest federal budget in history, which will create the biggest deficit in history.

To provide political cover for his broken promise, the President identified $17 billion in spending he would like to cut. For the average American family making $50,000 a year, this is the equivalent of eliminating about 68 cents out of their daily budget – not enough for a coffee or a Coke. Are these the ‘hard choices’ of which the President speaks%3f

The White House argues that spending money we don’t have is the road to economic recovery. Americans know you can’t spend and borrow your way out of financial trouble. This has never worked for any nation or individual under any circumstances. It is the sure road to ruin.

I am pleased to see that the administration did request funds for E-Verify. With 13 million citizens and legal immigrants out of work and eight million illegal immigrants in the workforce, funding for E-Verify, which helps companies ensure that they hire legal workers, is critical. 

I am also concerned over the administration’s spending priorities, particularly when it comes to immigration law enforcement.

Despite the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 calling for an 8,000 bed increase for immigration detention in 2010, the administration did not request funding for new beds.

Nor does the administration appear focused on fugitive aliens who ignore deportation orders. To give fugitives a pass sends the message that deportation orders don’t matter – it is a message of amnesty for lawbreakers.

The administration also has no plans in the budget to build more of the border fence. If the administration is serious about preventing illegal immigration and protecting Americans from border violence, it would build this front-line defense.