Shuster Signs Letter to Pelosi: Fund Troops, not Profligate Spending

Congressman Bill Shuster joined 173 of his House Republican colleagues in singing a letter to Speaker Pelosi urging her to produce a clean DOD Appropriations Conference Report that does not include miscellaneous spending and the largest debt increase in American history:

“The Democrats under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi are preparing to bring a DOD spending bill to the floor of the House in the form of a Christmas tree laden with gifts to special interests and Democrat priorities,” Shuster said.

“Giving Speaker Pelosi and her leaders in Congress a blank check to spend more by increasing our debt ceiling by $1.8 trillion is irresponsible and to tie it to legislation to fund our soldiers fighting in Afghanistan is reprehensible,” Shuster continued. “We need to pass a clean defense spending bill without delay.”

The House is expected to take up the DOD Appropriations Conference Report in the next few days. The text of the letter bearing Shuster’s signature is attached below and a copy can be found online here.

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Speaker of the House

U.S. Capitol

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Madam Speaker,

We write today to express our strong opposition to reports that the Democrat Majority is considering attaching unrelated and extremely controversial proposals, such as an increase in the public debt limit, to the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations bill. We object to maneuvers to use our troops as leverage to enact proposals that the Majority either cannot pass on their own or for which they wish to avoid directly voting on and we will oppose a Defense Appropriations package that includes such provisions.

Unfortunately, there seems to be pattern developing this year of using legislation that supports our men and women in uniform to pass other contentious proposals that are extraneous to our troops. We should supply those who risk their lives for our country with the resources they need without conditions and without using them to accomplish other legislative goals. House Republicans stand ready to help the Majority enact a defense bill that meets the needs of our troops, but we will not assist your effort to use the troops to enact an increase in our national debt limit so as to finance the irresponsible spending policies of your party.

Sincerely,

(174 House Republicans)

Leader Boehner has more over at his own GOP Leader Blog

Shuster Votes to End Tarp

On Friday, Congressman Bill Shuster voted for a Republican motion to block any more funds from being spent through the Troubled Asset Relief Program. Instead, the Republican motion would have used TARP funds to pay down the debt and lower our sky-high debt ceiling. The motion failed 190-232.

“Like so many government programs before it, TARP has begun to develop a life of its own and must be stopped. The American people do not want to see this program turn into another round of bailouts or a new political slush fund.

Instead of looking for more ways to ‘spread the wealth around’ with TARP money while raising the national debt ceiling by a massive $1.8 trillion, congressional Democrats should focus their attention at paying down the debt and getting our economy back on the right track.

The American people want an end to the bailouts and all of the reckless spending now taking place in Washington. Speaker Pelosi and her colleagues could have shown the nation that they are serious about governing responsibly. They failed the test.”

Republican Whip Eric Cantor on the Economy, TARP, Jobs and the White House

Shuster Cosponsors Legislation to End the Revolving Bailouts of the TARP Program

“TARP money has been used for its original purpose and the billions of dollars left over has become walking around money for the government, or worse, a political slush fund for the Obama Administration. It’s time to end the TARP program once and for all." -Congressman Bill Shuster

Congressman Bill Shuster has become an early cosponsor of legislation that would end the Troubled Asset Relief Program on December 31st of this year and deny any extension of the program by the Treasury Department, which still has that option unless Congress acts now.

“President Bush proposed the TARP program to help steady our banking system through a time of uncertainty and stress not seen in our economy since the Great Depression,” Shuster said. “The program was designed to be limited but like so many government programs it has begun to develop a life of its own. It is time for Congress to put TARP to rest once and for all.”

It is estimated that of the original $700 billion in the TARP account, close to $317 billion remains unobligated to financial institutions even though the banking crisis has passed. Additionally, questions have been raised over TARP payments to large banks like AIG that have gone beyond TARP’s original mandate. To end any future abuse of taxpayer money, Congressman Shuster believes the TARP program should be ended.

“The American people are tired of bailouts and seeing billions of dollars given to Wall Street banks even though the banking crisis is over,” Shuster said. “The American people want jobs and a robust economy, but that won’t happen quickly while we are burdened by a $12 trillion dollar debt.”

“The money left over in the TARP account shouldn’t be dumped into a political slush fund to pad the pockets of the friends of the Obama Administration or Wall Street executives; the money should be used to pay down our debt,” Shuster concluded.